Emotions
by animusic96
Summary: He was a trained assassin. Killing her was supposed to be easy, right? It's just like the other missions. So, why... did this one turned out to be rather different? - Very AU.
1. The Fox

I know, I should've updated 'I Too, Will Protect You', but I have this huge urge to write this story x) the idea is tickling my mind, pushing me to write it lol~ xD

Well, I hope you like it :D

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and sadly, never will. x)**

On with the story!

_

* * *

- Chapter One -  
_

**Fox**

* * *

The rain pours down heavily all across Leaf Village.

In a glance, it almost looked like a huge bucket had decanted its water content into the sleeping city. The sky's color is dark; pitch black with silhouettes of lightning which sometimes cracked the gloomy clouds.

It is a very quiet and chilly night.

In one of the buildings, a man is sitting on his chair. His aura of authority filled the half-circle shaped room, tensing the air. He had his right eye bandaged, and an X scar tear the outer skin of his chin.

The lightning strikes suddenly, illuminating the room with an eerie light.

At the same time, a masked figure suddenly popped out of nowhere, small curtains of smokes covering the unknown presence. As the smoke thinned, the masked figure's whole form is revealed. A black robe cloaked him from head to toe, as if he was trying to make himself disappear in the night's shadows. He knelt down to the bandaged one in front of him, with a silent yet quick motion.

The masked man spoke in a very flat, almost macabre voice.

"He is ready, Lord Danzou."

The sitting man's uncovered eye seemed to twitch a bit. He nodded at the figure slowly and voiced his command.

"Send him in, Kujaku."

The masked figure nodded at that command, and formed seals with his hands. Finished, he slammed his palms onto the cold, hard floor. A small circle with incantations around it appeared from under his palms, eventually growing wider.

Then a thick smoke wrapped the air on a certain spot beside Kujaku. A shadow slowly appeared inside the smoke as it thinned. A man, covered in the same black robe and the same masked face stepped outside the remnants of the fumes. Unlike the similar figure beside him, the new guy doesn't kneel to the one-eyed man.

"Danzou."

A perfectly hid hint of hatred swayed in his cold, if not, emotionless voice.

The said one stood up in a swift motion, gripping a wooden cane in his hands.

"Address me with _'Lord'_, Fox."

Fox growled at Danzou's commanding words. "And don't address _me_ with something that is not even my name, _Lord_ Danzou."

Danzou stared at Kujaku—who is still kneeling down quietly—with his one eye. He, knowing his place as the ruler of the Leaf Village, spoke in a stern and deep toned, rigid voice.

"Give us some privacy, Kujaku."

And in a flash, the kneeling figure disappeared from the dim room in a smoke.

A small smirk formed on Danzou's lips. "It is just us now, Fox."

The Fox growled again. And this time, he released a sharp killing intent towards the ruler of Leaf Villlage. He clenched his fist behind the robe that cloaked him.

His voice trembles a little, anger exudes in his tone.

"_Don't. Call me. That._"

Suddenly the atmosphere turned silent. A taut, uncomfortable silence. All the sounds being heard are the rain's, the lightning strikes', and the sound of their own breathing.

The masked figure in front of Danzou before has disappeared. Danzou just stand calmly behind his desk. His emotions, his thoughts, are hidden very carefully under his bandage and eyelid, being undetectable in his eyes.

He didn't even flinch when suddenly, a flash of shadow motioned in front of him and a fist made its way to his face.

With one fast paced and sudden move, Danzou thrust his wooden cane to the Fox's mask right on the forehead, just before the fist—which is only an inch away from his nose—hit him. The mask slowly cracks from the forehead to the chin, splitting it into two. When the mask finally shatters, the Fox's face is revealed.

Soft whisker marks adorned his cheeks. Spiky, messy blonde hair showed up under the black robe's hood, a very unique golden-colored. Fangs showed up behind his lips when he gritted his teeth. Claws, instead of nails, protrude on the edge of his fingers.

And his eyes, deep scarlet with narrow pupils—like those of cats. Or foxes, in this case.

Agitated, Fox snarled and attempted to push his fist further—blood dripping from his hard clenching. But Danzou flowed more chakra to his cane, pushing Fox harshly and threw him back. However, Fox maintained his balance as he clawed the cold floor to prevent him crashing on the wall behind.

Danzou smirked, slowly putting his cane to its position before.

"You are too early, say, for ten years—before you can even hit me, brat."

Fox spat and wiped his lips. He stood up quietly and, strangely enough, his scarlet eyes turned into cerulean, sapphire like ones. His fangs and claws have also disappeared, and his whisker marks faded a little, though still visible.

"What do you want, Danzou? Calling me here." said Fox, gritting his teeth.

"I have a mission for you, _Uzumaki Naruto_." answered Danzou, emphasizing Fox's _real_ name. The name felt weird on his tongue. However, he can't risk triggering the Fox's anger for the _second_ time, can he?

Naruto frowned, but kept his cool. "Hmph... Spit it."

"Respect, kid." The said one grunted and glared at Danzou.

Danzou held the urge to glare back and continued instead.

"You will go to the Blue Moon Town, and visit the Crescent Moon Palace. There, you will employ as a personal knight—a personal bodyguard,"

Naruto's face seemed to show a little disbelief. Feigned, perhaps.

"...For the princess."

Naruto snorted, "Huh. And here I thought you're going to give me another dirty mission, old man."

Danzou narrowed his visible eye, "I am not finished yet."

Naruto stared at the ruler, seemingly aware of something behind the mission Danzou had just given him. The ruler's face turned into a stone cold one, a very perfect image of seriousness. And selfish emotionless.

"Kill her." he said. "Kill the princess."

Naruto seemed to flinch a bit. Although he maintained his unreadable flat face.

"And what if I don't want to?"

The lightning strikes again, its light irradiated both men in the room. For awhile, shadows are being pulled out by the eerie spark.

Danzou glowered at the blonde haired one in front of him. "You _need_ to. It is a duty given to you. You, are an _assassin_, after all." Naruto's eyes twitched at the word 'assassin', "And we both knows fully well the consequences of disobeying an order. Furthermore, you are supposed to be pretty used at killing."

Naruto didn't counter anything the bandaged man had said—he pursed his lips, though perhaps, momentarily. Which is much to Danzou's content. Danzou grabbed a sealed scroll on the end of his desk and practically threw it to Naruto. The whiskered blonde catched the scroll, gripping it in a hand.

"Keep the scroll with you. It contains every information you need about this mission. So, do not ask further questions." Danzou said, pointing his chin towards the scroll in Naruto's palm.

Naruto glanced at the unopened scroll that is still sealed. He put it in a pocket behind his robe, hiding it from sight. Danzou gazed upon the cerulean eyes that Naruto posessed, and nodded his head in approval of his actions.

"You are dismissed now, _Fox_."

Naruto hissed at that last word before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

-

*****

-

A shadow jumped from rooftop to rooftop in a flash—and in a glance, it is a mixture of golden and black. The rain had stopped, though the darkness remains. It is past midnight, and the town now rests in silence, cold breeze blew softly.

Naruto stopped his pace at one of the buildings' roof. He sat, then growled silently.

_'Fox.'_

He hated that word, that being. He _resented _it. Even though there is a 'Fox' living in him.

Yes, _Inside_ his body.

As emotionless as he is, he still felt rage at the presence of _that_—which seemed to be always there._ That_ is the reason why he is an assassin on the first place. The reason why he is cold.

The reason why he can feel _nothing_.

Except for those negative emotions. Like hatred, and rage. Like those he felt towards Danzou, that bastard. If you ask why Naruto hated him, it is going to be a long list.

Danzou, is the reason why he has that _thing_ inside him. It goes way back to that time, the time when the first tragedy befalls the Leaf Village.

:

An enormous creature with crimson eyes, amber fur—like those flames had—and nine tails came from inside the woods, enraged. Because of its nine tails, it is referred to as Kyuubi. Its roar pierced the eardrums of the people, releasing a massive amount of chakra. Its tails ran amok, crashing the buildings it came in contact with. Villagers tried to run away, saving themselves from the fury of the Fox.

But their escape attempts seemed to be futile. Only few had managed to avoid it.

It is when Hiruzen Sarutobi, the ruler before Danzou, came to face the giant being. He decided to seal the Fox, keeping it in prison forever in a peach tree at the nearby temple. These words, however, reached Danzou before it was executed.

Danzou was the leader of the Black Swan—a secret organization consists of strong, trained assassins. They are the ones executing hard and special missions. This organization was made to protect the city, to keep it safe. Thus, it earned the trusts and special privileges from the ruler of Leaf Village.

However, being Danzou, there are things done to benefit the organization itself, sometimes even ignoring the city. He played schemes, as astute and cunning as he is.

When those words reached him, he quickly asked—pleaded, even—for the ruler to seal the Fox inside a baby in the orphanage. A human.

Of course, Sarutobi overruled that idea and refused to do it. But Danzou pushed him, convincing him that by sealing it inside the baby, the Fox's chakra will help the little one, giving him power and an incredible healing ability.

Sarutobi, thinking that Danzou meant it for the good, finally agreed. He even mentioned that if anything should happen to him, as a trusted disciple Danzou will be his successor.

Little did he know, Danzou didn't want to seal the Kyuubi inside that baby to help him. It is for a more selfish goal.

To make a weapon.

A human weapon, so to say.

With the Kyuubi's chakra inside him, that baby will be very powerful and strong when he grew up and learned how to control that chakra. He had no parents, so Danzou ask Sarutobi to put that baby into his care. That way, he will be in full control and custody of the baby.

Sarutobi, who fought with every bits of power that he had, was on the verge of death when he finally managed to weaken the Kyuubi. He used the last remnants of his life to seal the Fox inside the baby's navel. He breathed his last breath when he finished the last seal on the baby.

Danzou smirked victoriously as he glanced at the crying, golden haired little being.

_"You are going to thank me one day, kid."_

:

Naruto clenched his fist, thinking on how Danzou had used him, ever since he was born.

All his life, he had always been trained on being an assassin. When he was still so little, probably at age six, he already saw blood. Many blood. He saw people got killed in front of him.

That thought gave him nausea.

He got his first kill on age nine. Not that he wanted to. He was scared, always scared. Ever since he saw people killing each other.

But he was _forced_ to.

Since then, he had killed so many he started feeling numb. All because of that _bastard_, that _jerk_, that _sly_ being. That _Danzou_!

Naruto punched his fist onto the roof below him, cracking it.

Even when he was still innocent and clueless to the world, he often get those glares from the people around him. Some would have that terrified look on their faces, some would shove dirt right on his face. He wanted to run away, from those hatred, those irritations, those... disgusts. All pointed towards him. Because they thought he is a monster. A _threat_.

Still, that is all because of that bastard, that jerk, that sly being. That Danzou_._

Danzou trained him harshly, and coldly. Being his foster father, Danzou never showed any care for him, if any. He didn't even show any expression when he told Naruto all of the truth about him. About Kyuubi, and his schemes. He even _smirked_ when he told the part of the story in which Sarutobi died.

Naruto spat in disgust.

Then, time passed and Naruto became one of the strongest in the Black Swan. Yet people still treated him the same. Well, not that they know about Black Swan, anyway.

But then again, being the strongest can't also cover the pain he felt inside his chest when he caught the glimpse of hatred in people's eyes as they glanced at him. No one would want to get near him, or talk to him. Kids and adults, they are all the same.

He is all alone. Always alone.

He had experienced hatred and pain too often, he became numb of it. He can't almost feel _anything _anymore when it comes to killing someone.

But that is what he is trained for, right? To not be able to feel any emotions at killing.

To be _empty_.

Naruto shook his head and dismissed those intrusive thoughts of the past. He reached behind his robe and took out the scroll Danzou gave to him.

"Kai." he said, releasing the seal on the scroll.

Naruto opened the scroll and scanned it, reading the informations inside.

-

**Target: Crescent Moon Palace's Princess, Hyuuga Hinata.**

_'Hmph... Never heard of her.'_

**Goal: Gain the Crescent Moon Palace's and the Princess' trust, then assassinate the Princess.**

_'Huh...'_

**Reason: The Princess is a threat to the Leaf City. She possessed unknown powers, which are hinted on her unusual eyes. **

_'Unknown powers...? Probably someone like me. What a coincidence.'_

**Being the one grasping the highest position in the land, and the nearest one to Leaf City, one of the scouting Black Swan member found out that she had planned to seek more power by destroying our city and marked our territory. At this, it will be best to dispose of her. Any threats shall be exterminated.**

_'What a princess...'_

-

Naruto blinked several times after reading the scroll. It also wrote the details about the Crescent Moon Palace and the Blue Moon Town, and also about the things he should be prepared of. But the only data that intrigue him is the one about the princess. He never thought that the princess will be someone as such.

However, since it is Danzou, perhaps he shouldn't trust those that the scroll said. He'll just find out himself.

Naruto stood up and began pacing again, moving towards the exit of Leaf City. He stopped in front of the gates.

"Well," he said, putting his mask on his face (**A/N:** he had a spare mask x) ), "time to go."

And the blonde disappeared in a flash.

* * *

Well, what do ya think? :D

I put Danzou as the ruler here, also as the villain. I just can't imagine Tsunade doing something like that x)

Black Swan is a bit different from ANBU or ROOT. It is different, though its mostly the same (the Black Swan is also under Danzou and has the same purpose). Probably the only difference is the members in Black Swan didn't have seals on their tongues like ROOT members. x)

Note that this story focuses on romance, and the deepening of the characters. There may be minor action, though, but it's not much I guess. x)

Let me know what you think about this! Also, ideas are welcomed. :)

--

Thank you! -animusic96-

--

*poof*


	2. The Moon Eyed Princess

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Believe it!**

Chapter 2 is finally up! :D I am so glad~ I'm sorry that I updated this late... I hope you'll forgive me, fellow readers... *bows*

On with the story~

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_- Chapter Two -_

**The Moon-Eyed Princess**

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The Blue Moon Town resides in silence, still asleep. The dawn just came, and the sun has not yet shown itself. Small beads of water fell down from the still dark sky, tracing the grounds and the grass, and then becoming one with the morning dew.

A bit afar from the Town, hiding behind the thick wall of trees at the foothill, is the Crescent Moon Palace. The Palace is not a big castle which has high towers and is amazingly enormous. From the outside, it looked pretty simple and ingenue. Two pillars stood as the gate that led to series of stairs, leading to the entrance of the Palace. The Palace itself seemed pretty normal, a traditional Japanese architecture. It is a one-story building, and though seemed quite simplistic outside, the inside is pretty breathtaking.

It is approximately 5000 square meter that consists of seven connected separate buildings, excluding the small pond and the garden of the Palace. The garden is probably the most beautiful part of the Palace. Each plant and flowers have been taken care exquisitely.

Inside one of the rooms in the Palace's compound, a girl clothed in soft, silvery white long kimono with lavender flowers pattern stood behind a huge, wide window. Her raven hair fell freely on her shoulders, framing her face.

She sighed as the rain ticked the window's glass, then flow down leaving trails of water on the transparent surface. She couldn't sleep, so for almost half an hour, she just stood there behind the window, watching the drizzle fell down.

:

_"What... What is that child?"_

_"I... I don't know..."_

_"M-monster... She must be a monster!!"_

_"No! Don't touch her!"_

_"What are you doing?! Let go of her__! __We should get rid of that... that..._** thing**... immediately! _  
_

_"Look at her! Those... those despicable..."_

_"...Eyes."_

_--_

_"You are not allowed to go anywhere, Hinata-sama."_

_"But... Kurenai-sensei..."_

_".....I'm sorry."_

_--_

_"Hime-sama?! What are you doing?! Get back here!!"_

_"But... I-I was just..."_

_"Hime-sama!!"_

_"...lonely."_

:

The nightmares.

They appear each time she closed her eyes at night, almost everyday. They are haunting her. Those very same nightmares that prevented her from forgetting the pains from the past. The ones that made her feel afraid of the world outside the Palace. She has already felt afraid of the world _inside_, though.

Hinata traced her left cheek with her fingers, and stopped right at her temple beside her pale, moon-like lavender tinted eyes.

She never wanted to have those kind of strange eyes. She never wanted to be different. But fate didn't side with her, and gave her those things instead. Ever since she was born, people were afraid of her. They never seen orbs like hers, and they thought that she must be cursed. They even had the thought of killing her 'for the sake of our town'. Her mother won't let them though, she protected Hinata with everything she had.

Her mother.

She was probably, the only one that saw Hinata as a normal child, her child. She is the one who protected her from the rage of the townspeople, the only one who was not afraid of her, but loved her instead. She even offered her life when the townspeople want to take Hinata's. Those townspeople, however, didn't take either of their lives.

Although Hinata has never known her mother, she already loved her. Sometimes, she just wished her mother was there with her. If her mother is still alive, perhaps everything would not be the same, for the better.

Her mother died because of severe illness, right after Hinata was born. And that just add more reason for the townspeople to hate Hinata.

Hinata is not a princess because the people wanted her to. If they could, they would probably throw her to the nearest river when she was an infant. But because of the Holy Maiden, Lady Tsunade's behest, they didn't.

The Holy Maiden is someone who has a 'gift', or special ability to feel people's intentions, sometimes even able to see pieces of a 'vision' of the future. that enabled her to prevent any unwanted events from happening. However, that ability is a heredity to every first daughter in The Clan, so only they can be Holy Maidens. Those traits are marked with a small diamond symbol on their foreheads. The Holy Maidens' task is to prevent anything foul or atrocious to befall the Town.

But the Holy Maiden still cannot suppress the people's hatred towards the innocent girl. All she could do to stop the people throwing pebbles to the pale-eyed girl every time she passed by is to make her a Princess. Lady Tsunade had also forbid her to go anywhere outside the Palace's compound.

That is for Hinata's own good.

Hinata blinked, and the tears that suddenly fell down from the corners of her eyes took her by surprise.

A sharp pain stabbed through her chest as certain fragments of the past flashed in her mind. She was always so lonely. Though since Kurenai—her female tutor—came to the Palace, the loneliness had lessen.

However, it is not gone.

::

_"Can I please see my father...?"_

_"..."_

_"Ko... Kou-san?"_

_"... You don't have one. Leave immediately."  
_

::

_Knock, knock._

"Hinata-sama?"

Hinata was awakened from her musing. She was startled a bit, with the familiar voice for one of the reasons. She quickly wept her tears away, and turned towards the door.

"Y-yes, Kurenai-sensei?" Oh, does her voice have to tremble?

She heard a click from the door, and a woman came in. The woman has crimson eyes, long and wavy black hair, and she wore a blood-red short kimono. She gazed upon the raven-haired princess, observing her well-being and condition.

"Hinata-sama, are you okay? You don't sound too well." she asked, concerned. Hinata smiled and shook her head slowly.

"Please, just call me Hinata, okay?" The princess said, smiling, "I'm alright, sensei. Umm... Maybe I'm just still a bit sleepy, that's all." Hinata reassured. Kurenai frowned then sighed, "I have known you since you were four years old, Hinata." she said, smiling when she said her name. "Nightmares?"

Hinata blinked several times, surprised how her friend and teacher could guess very correctly and quick. She smiled, somehow happy that Kurenai had truly known her deep inside. She nodded slowly, yessing Kurenai's assumption.

The woman approached Hinata and held her hand, "You know, you can always talk to me about anything that disturbed you. That's what I'm here for."

Hinata smiled sincerely, yet hesitantly. She was blissful to have Kurenai by her side, but she couldn't tell her _everything_. She couldn't tell her feelings about the past that still faze her nights. So Hinata just shook her head, and smiled reassuringly.

"It's okay, Kurenai-sensei. It's just a dream."

Kurenai narrowed her eyes, then sighed in defeat. "Okay. But still," she looked deep into Hinata's moon eyes, "if those nightmares bugs you beyond the limit, tell me."

Hinata smiled and nodded.

"Oh, I came by to give you some news." said the crimson-eyed woman. Hinata tilted her head a bit to the side, looking curious.

"What is it?"

"Well, there will be a new employee in this place."

"E-employee?"

Kurenai giggled, "I mean a new knight. He's from another city."

Hinata opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her brows furrowed, making some knots on her forehead. "Another city? I-I thought Lady Tsunade didn't allow anyone outside from our Town to enter or work at the Palace?"

"This one is a special case," Kurenai said, her eyes descend on the dawn sky, with colors of soft orange collided with pale blue, "and he will be _your_ knight. Your very own, _personal_ bodyguard."

*****

The Holy Maiden felt anxious.

She had wondered for the past hours if she had made the right decision.

Tsunade cared a lot for the Princess, and she was still hesitant of letting someone else enter the Palace, meddle in Hinata's safe zone. Tsunade had always known the pain, the sadness, and the loneliness that the young girl experienced in her whole life. Tsunade wasn't supposed to know other people's emotions, but Hinata's were so strong.

Tsunade had also knew the girl's fear of meeting someone new.

Yet, she felt that the new presence of the knight here will bring her—them—some changes. Some for the better, though some... could be for the worse.

The Holy Maiden also felt something strange when Danzou had asked her to employ the new guy. She felt some bad vibes, yet... She felt that she need to accept the offer.

So she did.

Tsunade was still pacing back and forth in the Shrine—her white robe swaying behind her, when a figure cloaked in white robe entered and bowed elegantly towards the nervous Maiden.

"My Lady."

Tsunade turned to face the figure and nodded. "I reckoned the new guy from Leaf City has arrived?"

"...Yes."

*****

Kurenai took one last stroke to a bow on Hinata's back, which was part of the obi on her waist.

"You look beautiful, Hinata-sama." commented Kurenai. A pink blush formed on Hinata's cheeks. She is feeling grateful.

Just an hour ago, Hinata retrieved a really surprising news. Suddenly, she is going to have a bodyguard.

To be honest, she was _afraid_.

She was afraid that she will have to go through those feelings of guilt, loneliness, and dejected, again. She very much knew that people always despised her, not caring about her feelings.

That new guy would probably do the same when he saw her.

Moreover, she is now, somehow, content of being alone. Maybe it's because there's no more people to glare at her anymore inside the Palace. No more people to look _disgusted_ every time they look at _her_.

If Lady Tsunade was never there, she was mostly certain that people would burn her like a witch.

Hinata wondered, though. She had been safe—_feeling_ safe—inside the Palace. Why would she need someone to protect her? It's not like someone was trying to hurt her, or assassinate her, or something.

Well, that someone does have a motive. He, or she, could be another one who was trying to annihilate her because of her... abnormality. She is never someone that people could pity, or care of.

_A witch._

What Princess is she?

Hinata winced, then smiled grimly. She was trying hard to hide those thoughts, really. But the unstoppable pain that pierced her heart really turned her mood down.

"T-thank you very much, sensei." she said sincerely, bowing her head to her tutor.

Kurenai smiled and waved her hand, "No need for formality now, Hinata. Besides," she turned Hinata to face the mirror, "it's true."

Hinata is wearing a dark, plum-colored kimono with lavender-colored butterflies as the pattern. She also wore a white satin obi that adorns her waist. Her hair fell freely to her shoulders, framing her fair-skinned face. A butterfly hairpin was embedded on her hair, right above her right ear.

The morning sunlight that sneaked into the room through the window irradiated her figure. Making her even more beautiful, as if she pervade the light and shone from herself.

Though that's not what the girl felt.

Hinata blinked and her reflection blinked back. She smiled softly and shook her head, "I... I'm not..."

Yes, she isn't. That is what she thought.

Not as long as she has those eyes...

Kurenai sighed.

"Believe me, Hime-sama, you are." she smiled and put a finger on Hinata's nose. "And you should realize that. There are lots of bachelors out there willing to marry you, you know." Kurenai giggled as Hinata's cheeks flushed. The girl then smiled, "Thank you, Kurenai-sensei."

The said woman nodded and patted her shoulder.

"Don't be nervous, okay? I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Hinata just smiled almost reluctantly. How can she _not_ be nervous while knowing that the person she is going to meet will hate her? Or, at least, think she's a _freak_?

Almost every person she met before did. Except for Kurenai-sensei and Lady Tsunade, perhaps.

Her body is trembling now, ever so slightly. Fear was starting to overtake her. Meeting someone new was never an exciting experience for her, reminiscing the past that she had.

:

_"This is Hinata-sama, our Land's Princess."_

_Fear, disapproval, and disbelief were reflected on their eyes when they look at the Princess' ones._

_"H-hello... It's nice_—"

_"Get the hell away from me!"_

:_  
_

A familiar feeling hit her. Subconsciously, she clenched her fist.

Hinata can only hope for the best.

"Hinata-sama?"

Again, Kurenai's voice resuscitated Hinata from her reverie. And she was surprised to see that Kurenai was already on the other side of the room, her hand leaning against the doorknob.

_Click._

"Come on." said the crimson-eyed woman, opening the door. "_He_ is waiting for you."

* * *

A/N:

I am very sorry that I updated this very late, and a pretty short chapter too.. x(

So, what do you think? I wanted to keep some things about Hinata a mystery for awhile, so it's pretty hard to write Hinata's POV, hehe.. Gomen~

Next chapter will be Naruto's POV :) Hope you'll keep on reading!

-Salute-


	3. The First Meeting

I am very sorry! I really need to get rid of this bad habit of updating very late x( Curse you, writer's block and the lazy side of mine x)

Mid-term exams are finally over, and some holidays are about to come! *cheers* :D Hopefully I can update faster, hehe. At least before normal school routines start again x)

I hope you'll enjoy reading the chapter. It's dedicated for all of you :D

Answers to questions are on the Author's Notes below. :)

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, it will be all about NaruHina x) Therefore, I don't own it, hehe. Kishimoto-sama does. :) **

On with the story~**  
**

* * *

Chapter 3

**The First Meeting**

**

* * *

**

Naruto gazed upon the clouds as they drift slowly, floating in the middle of the blue sky. The scene above him looked ever so peaceful, and the weather today is nice. Cool and warm.

Ironic, though, because the rain just fell this morning.

He is standing in front of the Palace's gates, waiting. Sometimes he'd lean his head on the wall behind him, a bit tired. When he visited the Shrine earlier—like Danzou ordered him to—the Holy Maiden told him to wait outside the Palace, for she will send somebody to pick him up and escort him to meet the Princess. However, he has been waiting for almost twenty minutes yet nothing showed any signs of somebody coming.

Huh.

So much for etiquette.

Naruto then lost his interest at the clouds. He turned to look at the Palace, which still pique some curiosity in him. He did imagine the Palace to be something like those huge castles which have many forts with flags on top of it, and a bit scary-looking. Like those in fairy tales, where dragons or witches lie inside the castle.

Hence, having that in mind, he felt a little bit surprised and strange to see that the Palace is something like this. Ordinary. Not too huge, not too small. Not too extravagant, but not too plain. It is somewhere between the middle. What's the right word to explain it? Perhaps, simple.

Ah, well.

His somewhat muse is interrupted by the creaking sound from the gates.

_Finally..._

Naruto waited for someone to come out from behind the gates—which did open up a bit—but nobody showed. Just the gate's door swaying a bit because of the wind, creaking when it moved.

He grumbled. Is this some kind of a joke?

"What on earth took them so long?"

"We're very sorry for the long wait, Naruto-sama."

Naruto turned around to face four figures cloaked in white robes, hoods covering their heads. They showed up from the stairs, apparently. Which made sense as to why they took so long.

The figure on the front—their leader, perhaps—bowed down and knelt to the golden-haired young man. Seeing him, the three other figures then followed his actions.

"Lady Tsunade had commanded us to meet you and escort you to Hime-sama. I am sure, you knew." the leader said.

Naruto snorted.

"Then, we shall advance." The leader—who apparently ignore the unsatisfied air around the golden-haired young man—stood up, followed by the three men behind him. He walked towards Naruto, and continue on until their body stood side by side—in which the leader then paused his movement, "Please come, Naruto-sama."

He continued his pace, with the other ones behind him. Naruto followed behind them, entering the Palace's gates.

Naruto glanced at the things around him as he set foot into the Palace's compound. He looked at the traditional rooms with wooden walls and tatami floor. He caught sight of the koi fishes swimming freely inside the clear-watered pond when he crossed a small bridge. And his cerulean eyes fell upon the beautiful flowers in the garden, which had been taken care of very nicely. Roses, Petunias, Hydrangeas, Gardenias, and other flowers—which he cannot name.

But there's a particular flower that caught his attention. Lilly of the Valley, or so they called it. Those flowers were, atypically, placed on a spot a bit far from the other ones. And they looked so small, so fragile... Yet the beauty and innocence were not hidden.

It is a bit perplexing, though. Why aren't they put together with the other flowers?

"...Naruto-sama?"

The stern, calm and deep voice of the white-robed men's leader made Naruto realize that he had paused to gaze at the flowers. Turning to face the hooded figures, he nodded and continued his pace.

They kept walking until not long after, they stopped in front of a broad room in the center of the Palace's territory.

"This is the Great Hall," the cloaked men's leader spoke up, "one of the biggest rooms in the Crescent Moon Palace. Please go inside, Naruto-sama. The Princess will join you there shortly."

Again, Naruto only nodded. The leader then bowed down and leave, along with the three others.

Slowly, he opened the door to the Great Hall.

_'Heavy.'_

He stepped inside, crossing the line that separates the Great Hall and the Palace's courtyard.

*****

Tsunade sat in a staircase which resides in front of the Shrine. She closed her eyes as the soft, fragrant breeze tickled her blond hair. The breeze really helped her with the unease feelings she has been having. Hopefully, it will soothe and convince this labile faith.

Sigh.

For the past minutes she had been having flashbacks of the time when she had a conversation with Danzou.

::

_"What, you're still doubting the decision you just made?" asked Danzou, his face remained as expressionless as ever._

_Tsunade glanced at him, then turned again to face the small candles on a wooden table. _

_"To tell you the truth, yes. Yes, I am still in doubt." she answered. Frowning, she played with a candle, flicking the luminous fire. _

_"Why?"_

_"Because I don't trust you." The candle that she played with had its fire died for a wind blew, sneaking from the windows' crevice. _

_"So you felt that I have an ill intention by asking you to let him be the Princess' protector?"_

_"No," Tsunade turned to face the one-eyed man, "I felt an ill intention every time you came here. That's why I don't trust you."_

_The man arched an eyebrow. _

_Tsunade turned to face him. "But something tells me that I have to accept your offer. For the Princess' sake."_

_A silence formed inside the Shrine, where the two were facing each other._

_After moments passed, Danzou bowed down. It is just formality, actually, not a sign that he is showing respect to the Holy Maiden. The action formed a knot on Tsunade's forehead. Danzou turned, heading towards the exit door. "So, I supposed that I'm dismissed now?"_

_Tsunade didn't answer._

_With a smirk on his face, Danzou gripped the doorknob and opened the door, stopping at the threshold. _

_"Lady Tsunade," his deep voice exuded seriousness. Though Tsunade can tell a smirk was plastered on his lips. Tsunade turned her attention on him, curious. "Do you know that Fox is different?"_

_The bearer of the title Holy Maiden snorted, "I do. You told me, the Kyuubi abode in him."_

_The wind blew through the half-opened door._

_"No, that is not what I meant." _

_The statement made a frown appeared on Tsunade's forehead. She listened closely._

_"He has something that the other Black Swan members don't."  
_

_Danzou walked past the door, leaving the Shrine._

_"You'll find out."_

_With those words, he left. Disappeared from Tsunade's sight._

::

Tsunade wondered.

There's something she doesn't now. Something she cannot identify.

What exactly made Naruto different?

_Something that other Black Swan members don't have._

Questions spun inside her mind, intriguing the curiosity in her.

She was occupied in her deep thoughts. So she was startled when she sense a presence behind her. Quickly, she turned around to face a person cloaked in white, long robe.

She let out a relieved sigh escape her lips when she recognized the figure.

"Yuura."

"Holy Maiden-sama," the person replied, "I have come to report that we have successfully retrieve Naruto-sama, and he is now waiting for the Princess' arrival at the Great Hall."

"Good job." she commented. "You are dismissed. Thank you for the work."

Yuura nodded and left.

Tsunade stood, getting ready to continue her routines. Though, the questions left unanswered are still interrupting her thoughts. She took a deep breath. Only time will tell what lies ahead.

For those two, there is definitely something that will change. Or something that will be built.

Let's just hope for the best.

*****

Another twenty minutes has passed—from the time he stepped into the huge space of the Great Hall, to the time he gazed at the garden through the window at the moment.

Is there something to the number twenty that he just had to wait for twenty minutes every time before they show up?

Geez.

Naruto glanced at the ceiling, and then his eyes explore the insides of the Great Hall. He's observing the huge room. For the second time.

The Great Hall is really empty, with little to no centerpiece, but has a very huge space. The floor is made from exquisite type of wood, polished and furnished. The wall is also made from wood, perhaps from mahogany. A big, golden chandelier hang on the center of the ceiling, adding a nuance of gold and brown.

Naruto then drifted his eyes to the garden outside the window once again. Right in his sight was the Lilly of the Valley.

There are certain things in the flower that somehow intrigued him. Him and his curiosity.

A clicking sound which came from the door at the other end of the Great Hall pulled him back from his muse. Someone is coming. The door started to open up slowly, creating a creaking sound that echoed in the empty, huge space of the Great Hall.

Naruto heard someone—no, two people to be exact—chattered, or perhaps argue, from behind the door.

"....—thing's gonna be fine, don't be so nervous."

"B-but Kurenai-sensei..."

"Oh, come on, Hina—"

Their seemingly conversation was paused when one of them, a woman with deep crimson eyes and black, wavy hair had her eyes fell upon him.

Naruto could hear a strained gasp came from the other one behind the woman. The one with raven hair and... strange eyes.

That must be _her_.

Slowly, the crimson-eyed woman walked towards him, taking the girl's hand and practically dragging the girl with her. Their footsteps echoed within the Great Hall. There are steady, sturdy footsteps, and irregular, non-rhythmic ones, which must be the girl's footsteps considering how she was being pulled by the woman. The woman stopped when she was only three steps away from the golden-haired young man.

"So," she said, "you're here. I am Yuuhi Kurenai, the Princess' tutor."

Naruto nodded. However, his eyes were staring at the young girl behind Kurenai, who was fidgeting and futilely attempting to hide herself behind the woman. She seemed afraid, and her body languages clearly showed that she didn't want to be there. As if she was glad if somehow the earth swallowed her—anything to make her just disappear, or invincible at the moment.

Kurenai slowly pulled the girl, tightening her grip on her small hand to convince her that there's nothing to be afraid of.

Naruto heard her whisper, "Introduce yourself, Hime-sama."

Kurenai loosened her grip, which made the girl tremble in lack of something to hold on to. That made her all the more nervous.

"Ah... I... u-umm..." was all that she can sputter out, timidly.

The girl glanced for a split second at him in the eye. She looked like she was searching for something.

Naruto frown a bit. Is this a princess who is supposed to destroy his hometown? She definitely didn't look like one.

"M-my name is... H-Hyuuga Hinata."

This time, she didn't look at him in the eye at all. Almost looked like as if she was trying to _avoid_ his gaze.

Naruto had the urge to quirk an eyebrow, but he was able to resist it. He knelt down instead, an action which he thought was common in dealing with princesses.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

That action clearly brought a surprise to the princess. Her eyes widened.

"Eh, n-no! Umm you don't.. you don't have to kneel down like that! P-please, stand up," she spluttered awkwardly, her hands doing nervous gestures. Somehow it seemed like she was restraining—or hesitant to touch him. As if she was _afraid_. Like he was a valuable, expensive porcelain glass and she was afraid that she would broke him.

Naruto stood up, giving her a sharp stare. And she looked like she was about to shrink.

Kurenai sighed and broke the silent awkwardness, "Well then, I guess I should take my leave."

"Eh???" Hinata turned to face Kurenai. Surprise and nervousness written on her face. "W-Why?"

"Because," Kurenai glanced at Naruto and Hinata alternately, "both of you need some time to know about each other. And it will be a bit inadequate if I were to come along in your conversation, which I expect to be somewhat personal."

Naruto folded his arms, "You're saying we should chat?"

"No. What I'm saying is, you both should _talk_. Know each other."

Hinata glanced at her tutor. She probably didn't presume this to happen. "Ah, b-but Kurenai-sensei—"

"He is going to be a personal bodyguard of yours after all, Hinata." Kurenai cut off. The look on her face softened as she look at Hinata's expression.

"It's going to be okay." she assured, giving the princess a small smile. Hinata's eyes then drifted to stare at the wooden floor.

Kurenai bowed down to them, taking her leave.

Hinata tugged Kurenai's kimono's sleeve when she just took a step, but after some time released it reluctantly.

The woman looked back, giving Hinata a smile before she walked away to exit the Great Hall.

*****

So there they were, only the two of them standing in the middle of a huge room with plenty of space. Silent and still.

Hinata played with her fingers, while Naruto stared at her. She was feeling uneasy, perhaps, under his gaze. Naruto, somehow, has been observing her ever since they saw each other for the first time. Well, she is quite the strange one. And she wasn't quite something he expected her to be.

Naruto watched as she timidly look away, trying to avoid meeting his cerulean eyes. There is something strange about her, for sure. He didn't expect her to be something like... like _this_.

Timid, nervous, shy.

Yeah. For someone who was supposed to destroy a city? He expected her to be gallant, assertive. Something like the aggressive type. Like a megalomaniac.

Well, certainly not like her.

Realizing that the silence will last unless somebody spoke up, Naruto broke it first.

"So, we're supposed to know each other."

Hinata jolted. She slowly turned her head to face him. Still not looking at him in the eye, however. "U-umm... yeah."

Silence.

Naruto snorted. "And how are we going to do that?"

Silence. Again.

_It was really hard to communicate with this person._

"U-umm...." she finally managed to utter some words after moments passed by. A word, at least. "T-then... How about we ask q-questions?"

Naruto looked at her quizzically. She looked like she was taken aback after those words escaped her lips.

"Questions?"

"W-well... We... We ask each other questions... Things that you want t-to know... about each other." she gulps. Somehow she seemed like she regretted having said that.

Another silence.

Naruto then folded his arms in front of his chest. That idea is pretty fine with him. He took a step closer to her, which made her seemed pretty uncomfortable. "That could work."

The Princess' eyes widened.

"So, who goes first?"

Hinata averted her eyes from him, looking at the wooden floor instead. "Y-you can go first."

* * *

A/N:

An awkward meeting x)

And now to answer some questions :)

**Bonny Jinchuuriki: **

_Is Tsunade the Holy Maiden?Why do the people hate Hinata?Is it because of her beautiful eyes?Is this AU inclusive of ninja abilities?_

Yes, Tsunade is the Holy Maiden. The people did hate Hinata because of her eyes. But perhaps the main reason was, because she was different. Sometimes in the past people who were different, if I'm not mistaken, were usually thought as someone who was cursed. So the townspeople hated her because they're afraid that the curse will spread to the whole town. (I know, I'm such a meanie to Hinata x( )

And yes, this is AU including the jutsus or ninja abilities. This fic is very AU. I think I should consider putting a warning in the summary.. ^^"a

_Isn't Naruto supposed to assasinate Hinata?So is he going to do it immediately?_

Yes, he was supposed to assasinate her. But he's not going to do it immediately, he had to gain her trust so he will hardly be suspected of the assassination. (I don't know, but I'm feeling like such a cold-blooded murderer.. huhu -__-) I'm sorry, I guess I forgot to point it out earlier in chapter 1 *sweatdrop* x)

_How can Kujaku summon Naruto like a normal summon?Are you deliberately treating him as a servant,an animal?The most pressing question is,how did Danzou get complete control over Naruto?Are you making Naruto to be a cold,vicious and heartless person till Hinata melts his heart?_

Uwahh, so many questions ^^"a

Again, sorry for not pointing this out earlier! x( Kujaku didn't really summon him like a normal summon. He just send chakra pulse to call Naruto. Naruto entered the room by himself. So it's not really a summoning jutsu, but rather a chakra alarm. Notice that Naruto appeared beside Kujaku, and Kujaku didn't draw blood from his thumb. ^^"a

Sarutobi had passed away (I'm sorry for killing off Sarutobi! He's really great, though x( ) and Danzou became his successor. So Danzou is like the one holding the highest position in Leaf City at the moment, also the leader of the Black Swan. Moreover, he adopted Naruto and Naruto is in his custody. That's why he had control over Naruto. But not really, completely. It appeared as if he had complete control over him, but.... Let's find out x)

Umm... Well, Naruto won't be that cold, vicious, or heartless, hehe. And perhaps, not really Hinata melts his heart... But it's somewhere along that line, though not really that *scratches head* Let's just find out x)

**winterkaguya:**

_Very sad and painful childhood for a little girl, huh?? I guess both she and Naruto must've been deprived of a normal childhood and stuffs._

It is... huhu I'm feeling pretty bad for doing that to Hinata and Naruto... Sorry! x( I hope I can make up to you somehow. :)

_So, what happened to Hinata specifically? I mean, she's a Hyuuga in the story right? And if I'm not mistaken, she was being ostracized because of her eyes?? So, I'm assuming that the Hyuuga clan does not possess the fabled pupil-less eyes or "white eyes" (in Hinata's case its like moon instead of white) as we all know, is that it?_

Wahh, I want to answer but I don't want to spoil either, hehe. x) Yup, she's still a Hyuuga in this story. Umm... probably that's all I can say, or would say, for now. ;) Gomenasai! But I intended to explain it in later chapters. :)

I am sorry if the answers didn't please you.. I write what I like, and sometimes they didn't quite have a nice explanation to it ^^"a Forgive me~

Hope it helped :)

xxXxxXxxXxx

Thank you for all who read or reviewed! They mean a lot to me :D

Mind to tell me what you think about it? Any kind of comments are welcomed! :D

Is it weird?? Is it too rushed?? Is it too slow?? Is it shallow?? Tell me~ :)

Thank you very much! :D

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_Rose Tiger_

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Thanks a lot guys! :D

-Lots of love-

animusic96


	4. The Unexpected Things

It's chapter four! :D

I'm really glad I could finish~ it took a great deal of effort to fight against this laziness o' mine... Gomenne~ x(

I hope you enjoyed reading the story so far :)

**Disclaimer: I didn't own Naruto. All I ever own is this tiny little brain and a small cup of coffee. :)**

* * *

_Chapter 4_

**The Unexpected Things**

* * *

"Y-you can go first…"

Hinata fiddled with her fingers. She felt nervous—really nervous, and scared too. But she can't help a curious feeling that tickled her.

Because, she found that he wasn't quite something that she expected him to be.

He was… rather _different_. People said that 'eyes were the window to the soul', and she was one who believed in that. She had tried looking into his eyes before, which was not something easy to do for her. She was prepared to receive the gleam of disgust or hatred that was usually present on the people she met. She was, really.

So it surprised her when she didn't find any on his eyes.

And his eyes—they had such beautiful color. It was clear blue, cerulean orbs. Though somehow, she could feel that there's hidden sadness, and loneliness in those pair of eyes. They seemed a bit… empty, if that's the right word.

Maybe they're much like hers.

But there's another something in his eyes—something she couldn't easily describe in words.

Hinata find her heart raced for unknown reasons when she stare at them. Maybe it's because of the nervous feeling, for her nervousness burst to the max all of a sudden. So she tried to avoid looking into his eyes sometimes.

The moment they meet had been an awkward one. She was the type that could be in a loss for words easily, and he seemed like someone who didn't talk much—well, perhaps for someone he just met, at least. Alas, silence spoke for most of the time.

…Like now.

Hinata glanced at him, waiting for his response to the words she just uttered. She had been doing it for a few times; sneaking a glance.

She can't resist the urge. She was curious. There's really something about him and she was…

_… Interested_.

Oh… What was she thinking?

"No."

His simple word caught her in surprise, blurring her muse. She looked up to meet his gaze. And found her heartbeat rate increased again.

"N-No?"

"I mean, I shouldn't be the first one to ask the questions." he said, ruffling his golden hair. "You should go first."

Hinata blinked several times. Her curiosity began to overwhelm her mind.

Not only there's no those negative feelings on his eyes, but there's none she felt on his voice as well.

_It's never been like this before._

"U-umm…"

But… she ought to make sure, right?

"Do you…" she gulped, "Do you hate me?"

Her voice trembled as she said those words. She shut her eyes, waiting for the reply that could either tear her courage to pieces or hurt her heart badly—again.

The silence spoke again, and she felt the air tensed. The tension rubbed off on her too. Maybe… Maybe it's just her, thinking how he could say that he hat—

"Why would I?"

Hinata's eyes snapped open and her head jerked up clearly shocked. That answer was certainly not in the options, or an answer she had presumed. But…

Naruto looked at her, seemed to be perplexed about her actions. "We're supposed to ask each other questions about things we want to know, though, right? Not questions about what we think of each other?"

"A-ah… Yes…"

However, a big wave of relieve flushed through her, relaxing almost every bit of her nerves. It was different, this time. With him… it was different.

_Maybe this time…_

"I guess it's my turn now?" he asked, breaking the reclusion that was starting to thicken. Still a bit flustered, Hinata nodded slowly.

"Well…" Naruto's eyes gazed right towards her—which made her averted her eyes away from his. His stare, it felt like it was piercing through her.

"Why did you have eyes like that?" he asked bluntly.

Hinata jolted. She knew this was coming. Maybe… maybe he did thought she's a weirdo after all. Maybe he also thought that she's freak, an abnormal being, or perhaps somewhere along that line.

Oh no…

Or… Or maybe she's just being paranoid?

Is she?

Then again, Hinata thought she never felt… like this before. Somehow, she seemed to care an awful lot of what the blonde young man thought about her. She anticipated every word that will come out from his mouth. She felt anxious, curious, but_ relieved._

Perhaps it's because she couldn't sense any hatred from him towards her—which she thought was rare in her case.

That alone made her feels so much better.

"…Well?"

Hinata was startled and gazed up to him. He was waiting for her answer, and she just realizes that she was so deep in thought, she almost forgot about the question he gave her.

"U-umm…" again, she played with her fingers. "I don't… I don't know."

Naruto frowned, "Really?"

Hinata nodded slowly. She was really telling the truth. She herself didn't know why she had been gifted those eyes at first.

"Tsunade-sama never told me about these… E-every time I asked, she always changed the subject or didn't answer… K-Kurenai-sensei did the same thing too…" she continued.

Thinking back, she had never wondered why. She trusted Kurenai and Lady Tsunade so much; she would never suspect them for anything bad. Both of them must have good reasons as to why they don't answer her questions regarding her eyes.

Hearing her answer, Naruto nodded. Though, his eyebrows furrowed a bit which perhaps showed that he was thinking about it.

Hinata looked down again, staring at the floor. The atmosphere became quite, though not at all taut. Moments after, she found herself surprised by the echoing sound of steady, calm footsteps.

The girl lifted her head and was startled to see Naruto a few steps away from her, walking towards the Great Hall's doors.

"W-where are you going?" she asked. And—yet again—she was surprised to find that her voice trembled.

Is he leaving her?

Did… Did he find her boring so he walked away? Or did he finally see her as someone strange? Does he… Does he hate her now?

_What should I do?_

Naruto stopped, along with the echoing sounds of footsteps. He turned his head to look at her, hands in his pockets.

"… Outside." he answered simply. When Hinata didn't move, looked down and fiddled her fingers instead, he turned his whole body to face her. A frown draws his eyebrows together.

"Hey," Hinata's head lifted at the moment his voice reached her ears, "are you coming?"

*****

Kurenai stood in the middle of the small bridge, watching the koi fishes swam freely under the clear water in the pond below.

The crimson-eyed woman, clad in a similar color kimono glanced at the Great Hall that resides near the pond, at the direction behind her, past the exquisite garden.

She sighed.

Worrying is not really in her nature, but that was what she had been doing for the past time. It was her decision to leave the two newly met alone. And she was feeling uneasy.

Maybe it's because she rarely leave Hinata like that. Not to forget, Hinata's shyness and her difficulty of adapting with new people are still there to add on the list. Kurenai cares a lot for the young princess, and sometimes, she could be a little bit overprotective about her.

Hinata was really fragile and shy compared to other people, so perhaps it was really comprehendible if she, as one of the closest people to her, worry.

If she could, Kurenai won't even leave her there with the young man. She wouldn't, really.

But what could she do? She can't possibly go against a request that came from her superior—especially from The Holy Maiden herself; Lady Tsunade. Though, another reason as to why she can't go against that request is because Kurenai knew what Lady Tsunade had asked for is something that could do a good thing to the princess.

Again, she let a small gust of breath escape her lips.

She took a second glance at the Great Hall, and blinked several times in surprise to find two figures coming out from the building, their forms flashed in between the bushes and trees.

Perhaps, she should keep an eye on how things were going on.

*****

Hinata followed Naruto as he stepped outside the Great Hall, walking behind him. She didn't know why he took her outside. She wondered why, but she didn't ask him about it, either. Though, she kept conjecturing things all the time.

And she felt somehow unsure of the words she would or will utter. She thought about what words will she say and what would be his reaction.

Perhaps she just didn't want anything to turn out wrong.

For it turned out somehow right for the very first time.

… At least for her.

Hinata glanced at her surroundings. They were walking to the garden, stepping on the paved path between the beautiful plants around. No matter how often she walked in the garden, she would always adore the flowers that lived there. It was her favorite place in the Palace.

And then her eyes fell on his back.

There it goes again—that nervous heartbeat.

Hinata stopped suddenly, following the pause of movement Naruto done. He turned to face the young lady.

"It's your turn now."

"Ah…" Hinata opened her mouth, and then closed it again. What should she ask?

She placed a finger upon her lips and averted her gaze from him, turning to look at the plants instead.

"Umm… What… favorite… things?" she mumbled. She could hear her own heart, the rapid sound echoed in her ears. Was it normal like this? She was wondering if she had eaten something wrong this morning.

But the lad couldn't hear her words, maybe, because he walked closer to her and brought his ears near her face.

"What's that?"

Hinata jolted.

She could feel her blood all flow to her face. She could feel the heat crept to her face, and she felt lightheaded all of a sudden. The blushing princess gave a small 'eep!' and jumped back, collided with a small bush.

_Too… Too close…_

Naruto frowned, seemed confused.

Hinata brought her hands on her chest, feeling her heart's crazy beating. She wasn't used to close proximities, and the one she just had clearly surprised her. Even Kurenai-sensei has never been that close to her before, physically.

She gulped and repeated her question. "I-I mean… What are your favorite things?"

The blonde young man's eyes glanced at her before drifted to look at African marigold flowers on his left side. He approached the group of the bright-colored blossoms and stroked the petals of one.

"I don't know. Nothing in particular, I guess." he answered. Hearing that answer, a small—if noticeable—knots formed on her forehead. "Not… Not even anything?"

Naruto took a look at the blue after-rain sky for a moment. "If I have to mention one thing…

"Maybe it's fairytales."

Hinata blinked several times, "R-really?"

Naruto stare at her with a 'what-you-don't-believe-me?' look. She did sound like she was unsure about what he had told him. Well… It's not that she didn't believe him—or thought that it's weird either. She was just surprised.

She was always surprised the entire time, the whole moments she spent with him.

He turned to look at the marigold flowers again. "What about you?"

Hinata played with her kimono's sleeves, tugging and clutching it softly. She gulped and took steps forward, approaching Naruto. She stood beside him—though not so close—and joined him to observe the marigolds.

"I… I like fairytales as well."

A small smile formed on her lips, though hidden behind the strands of hair for she was looking down. She didn't know where the courage to stand a bit close to him came from—it was almost on impulse. But she wasn't feeling scared any longer, though the nervousness still remains.

Somehow, she had felt almost comfortable in his presence.

The thought startled her. Why? They had just met and yet…

... Is it because she had found out that they had at least something in common? Or maybe, because he was the first person to not show any kind of fear or hatred towards her when they meet for the first time?

Perhaps it was both.

Hinata took a deep breath. "K-Kurenai-sensei told me many tales when I was still little. They're used to be my bedtime stories. I've… I've always loved the tales ever since…"

Naruto glanced at her.

"D-Do you know the story of the Ugly Duckling…?" she asked.

The sapphire-eyed young man shook his head.

Hinata smiled a little, "It's my favorite story…"

Her cheeks' colors deepened, making the rosy pink turned into an almost red shade. She seemed to be aware of that, for she turned to walk towards the opposite side to hide her face, approaching a group of gladiolus flowers.

The Ugly Duckling.

It was the bedtime story she used to request Kurenai-sensei to read over and over again. The main character in the story really had a close resemblance to her. And she used to believe that one day, people won't hate her anymore. That she would finally be… acknowledged.

Like the ugly duckling who turned into a beautiful swan.

"Well," said Naruto, "I guess I'd like to know that story sometime."

That simple statement widened Hinata's pearly eyes. She slowly turned her head a bit to sneak a glance towards Naruto—who was still staring at the bright marigolds.

Her heart beats faster again. And to her bewilderment, she can't stop a small smile that graced her lips.

Naruto suddenly turned his head to the right, glancing at the distance. He walked towards the direction of his gaze, hands still in his pockets. Curious, Hinata followed him behind.

They kept walking on the paved path until they arrived in front of the Great Hall's window which faced the garden (**_A/N_**_: the window where Naruto saw the lilies in chapter 3 :]_). Naruto stopped; his gaze fell on a spot across the window, where the garden ends in a hedge of hydrangeas.

Hinata also stopped moments after him, standing near the young man. She followed his gaze, which ends on a small group of white, small flowers past the hydrangeas—oddly planted a bit far from the garden.

"Those flowers…" he said, walking towards the white flowers, "why are they placed on a different place than the garden?"

Hinata followed him yet again, and stood near the group of said flowers. She didn't think that he would recognize the flowers, so again, she felt a bit surprised. And… shy.

Hinata squatted down near the flowers and looked down, letting her raven hair fell to cover her blushing visage.

"It's… It's planted here because I thought it would be im-impolite to plant them on the g-garden…" she stammered, "And it's Ino-san's garden too…"

"Ino-san…?"

"Ah, she's the garden's caretaker," replied the princess.

Naruto squatted down along beside her—which made her took at least a step away from him—and cupped a bloom with his hand.

"You're the one who planted them?"

Hinata's head sunk lower, until it was completely hidden behind the curtain of deep, dark blue hair; blushing. She was always feeling uncomfortable every time people asked about the little white flowers.

"… Y-Yes."

She often became flustered; suddenly at a loss for words of denial.

Naruto look at her from the corner of his eyes, "… Why?"

It's as if admitting her good deeds was not a good thing to do—like she was boasting or something.

Hinata gulped. "I-I… Because… I… found them…"

The blonde guy arched an eyebrow. He was confused about her seemingly unfinished sentence, probably. The girl seemed reluctant to continue, but something in her prodded her—making her did otherwise.

"I found only a bloom before… r-right here. It's beautiful, I thought. But it seemed kind of lonely, and I can't…" she glanced at the flowers, "I can't help it. S-so I asked Ino-san to get other flowers of the same kind… and we planted them h-here."

She took a deep breath after she finished.

Yes. She can't help but gather some friends for the lone flower. She knew how it felt to be alone; and she felt empathy for the blossom. She knew how it felt… but, now that she had Kurenai-sensei, and Tsunade-sama, and others…

The loneliness had lessened.

Hinata looked up to meet Naruto's face. He was still staring at the flowers.

"They are Lilly of the Valley."

Hinata's eyes widened when he mentioned the flowers' name.

Naruto—hearing no responses from the princess beside averted his gaze to meet hers, "Right?"

Hinata blushed as she looked down again, twiddling her fingers. She nodded softly, "Yes… H-How did you know?"

Naruto shrugged, "I just know."

Confused and curious. Those were what she was feeling almost the whole time. They were the feelings that were always there since he first met this young man and started to talk with him. She, somehow, wanted to _know_ more; how did he know? Why did he chose to approach these small flowers that hold little attraction—though not in her opinion—and were not noticed by many people?

Why didn't he hate her?

_… I don't know._

Hinata slowly caressed one of the flowers with her finger. The flowers; they were pretty. Ino-san taught her a lot about the flowers before. And they symbolized their meaning perfectly…

"It… means happiness."

She was startled that her thought was said out loud. Dazzled, she brought a hand slowly upon her mouth, covering them as if she was afraid the next thought will be said out loud as well.

"… Happiness?"

She looked at him, still covering her mouth. Slowly, she nodded.

But she was perplexed of his tone. It exuded disbelief, curiosity, doubt and mystification. He said the sole word like it was something… strange. Like it was a word that he never knew exists.

Again, the question 'why' popped in her head.

Puzzled, she replied tenderly, "Umm… Yes…"

Naruto turned to look at the small lilies again. He changed his position—from squatting to sitting on the green, gentle grass. Playing with the flowers' leaves, his eyes gave a dazed look.

"… Happiness, huh?"

Naruto paused for a moment, his hand lets go of the leave. His cerulean eyes slowly drifted to stare at her intensely. But Hinata somehow felt that his gaze… it was sort of… soft?

"Can you explain that?"

Her white, lavender-tinted eyes widened slightly.

"I… Umm… you—? I mean, i-it's…" she flustered, her eyes looking all around as if searching for something. She was puzzled. She didn't really have an exact answer to the question; as it's usually something that people experienced for themselves.

But she has to answer. She _must_.

It was his turn, after all.

"Umm… How should I say this…?" Hinata fiddled with her fingers. "I-I think happiness—feeling happy—is… when you have this kind of t-tingling sensation in you—all the way from your belly," she tapped her stomach softly, "to your chest," she motioned her hand upwards to her heart, "and to your mind," she touched her temple gently.

Naruto listened closely as she continued, "Suddenly, the colors seemed brighter, the smells stronger, a-and the sky clearer…"

A little tug on the corners of her lips formed a small smile. "I… I think happiness is one of the wonders life can bring… It's—it's an emotion that people would surely experience… No matter how small or dim the feeling is…

"It's an emotion worth treasuring… I, I think."

She inhaled the air deeply, fragrant from the miscellaneous aroma the flowers produced. She let the breath she held in a one soft, small gust.

_An emotion worth treasuring… _It was the most compatible explanation, perhaps, that she could come up with. The said happiness rarely happens on her case; it was worth treasuring for sure.

Wondering, she turned her head to look at him. And, again, found waves of shock traveled through her nerves.

He was staring at her too.

For a few moments, their eyes locked and Hinata could feel her breath taken away. Her body froze—she couldn't move even a finger. She was somehow… absorbed; lost in the midst of cerulean diamonds that gazed at her.

Again, she found his eyes amazingly beautiful—a color she has never before seen.

But she saw it again, that gleam of… sadness and forlorn. Though this time, there was something other in the blue irises. Something she couldn't comprehend.

His eyes were a mystery. _He _was a mystery…

"Ehem."

The sound which broke the silence jolted her. She blinked rapidly and turned to glance at her back.

There stood a woman with blood-red kimono and scarlet eyes, crossing her arms and a small smile on her lips. "I reckon you were having a good time together."

"Ah, K-Kurenai-sensei…!" Hinata stood up quickly, head hung down to hide her growing blush.

The woman chuckled, noticing the pink shades on her cheeks. _It seems things are going well…_

Kurenai patted her student's head gently, and then walked past her towards Naruto—who was now standing up and stared at Kurenai intensely. She felt a bit unease, but approached him nonetheless.

Hinata looked at her teacher's back, confused. Is there something wrong…?

Kurenai stopped a step away in front of the golden-haired young man, "You. Come with me, please."

Naruto showed no difference in expression, movement, or attitude. His face stayed indifferent like it was when she first met him.

Kurenai resist a sigh and turned to face Hinata, "I'll be _borrowing _him for a few moments, Hinata-sama. I'll return him to you not long after." She said with an ever-growing smile as she saw the princess' flustered actions.

"E-eh?? I-I don't mind, so... Ah, n-no! I-I mean… I don't o-own him so… No, no! I—"

Hinata was at a loss for words.

She love Kurenai-sensei, she really does. But there are times when she just wished the beautiful woman stop teasing her at odd times.

Kurenai laughed.

"Well, we'll see you later, Hinata."

The sentence was replied with a smile from the princess. Confirming the approval, Kurenai left with Naruto.

Hinata sighed as they both left. She had never felt so self-conscious in her life. This was the first time she had ever felt so.

Maybe… just maybe…

--

_Maybe there was one who didn't thought poorly of the Ugly Duckling._

_

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_

No, it's not love… At least not yet. ;)

Umm… to tell the truth, I think this chapter didn't come out like what I expected it to be. And it felt a bit rushed… *sighs* I hope I would get better x( Wish me luck~

Please tell me what you think about this. :)

And here are answers to some questions :

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**Karasu18: **_What happend to Hiashi?_

**andalliwantedwerecookies: **_erm...since hinata's in the hyuuga clan, why dont they just take her in, since she obviously one of them...and uh what happened to neji/hanabi/hiashi? did they die or just flat out dont exist?_

I was fretting over this as well… I'm confused whether I should put the actual Hyuuga clan in the story, or just let them not exist. It'll be easier if it was the latter; I can leave it just like that and didn't have to insert another plot-twist. But if it's the former, I could make the story clearer. *sighs* But I like the former idea better. I think I'll explain this in later chapters, if you don't mind. :D

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**Bonny Jinchuriki: ** _Hmm...Hinata seems more shy than she was back in the do you mean by a'girl who is supposed to destroy her hometown'?Does it concern the curse?_

_Would the palace be that of Japan or of Western Civilisation?It seems are the people all dressed in white clothes and in hoods?The Lily of the Valley represents Hinata or is her flower,am I not right?I think you could have described the palace more._

_Finally,thanks for placing me on the list!_

She is shier than in the manga. :) In this story, she was put in a harsher childhood and she only interacts with several people, so I guess it'll be more proper if she has a shier personality. Gomen ^_^; Umm… it doesn't involve the curse. It's what Naruto reckoned she would be because in the scroll Danzou gave him, that's what she described as. :)

I'm sorry if it confused you. ^_^; I think it's more Japanese than Western. The Palace is based on a Japanese building namely Ninomaru Palace of Nijo Castle; the difference being the Crescent Moon Palace is not a flatland castle, rather a highland one considering the series of stairs to get there.

The gates were based on a _karahafu_ in Japanese architecture. But there were certain elements of Western too, like the plants in the garden—marigolds, Lilly of the Valley, hydrangeas, and many more. The Palace's and the Town's name were Japanese at first (_Gengetsu no Goten _and _Aotsuki no Machi_) but I used the English ones instead. ^_^; I'll try my best to give clearer description regarding the castle. :)

Well, the people dressed in white robes are just my imagination. Gomenasai~ ^_^; I thought it'll click for they're the Holy Maiden's subordinates and they work at the Shrine.

And yes, they're her flowers! Props for you :D

And you're very welcome! You deserved it. :)

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**KantonKage:** _Where's Minato and Kushina?_

I decided Naruto to be an orphan so I didn't put them in the story at all—they died. I'm very sorry. Q_Q

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There are many reviews I wanted to respond to... Ghaaa~ I'm sorry, but I'll try to give more response next time. Thank you very much everyone! *bows deeply* :D

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**_Mentions of Honor: _**

_andalliwantedwerecookies_

_Rose Tiger_

_The Unknown Twinkie_

_Bonny Jinchuriki_

_KantonKage_

_winterkaguya_

_oceanmoon_

_narutos vixen_

_JasminDragon92 _

_Karasu18_

_--_

A ton of thankyous I send to all of you. :DD

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~Chao!

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**_Trivias:_**

Marigolds mean; _Sorrow, Jealousy, Caress, Pretty love, Affection, Sacred_

Lilly of the Valley mean: _Humility, Happiness, Tears of the Virgin Mary, Sweetness_

Hydrangeas mean: _Friendship, Devotion, Understanding_

_--  
_

**Review? :3**

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	5. The Family

Hello, everyone! :D

Here is chapter five~ I'm glad that I'm finally able to finish it. Whew~ x) I hope you can bear with my lack of skills and slow updates...

A special thanks to _Perpetual159_ for beta-ing this chapter! *bows* ^_^ Without her, this chapter would still be the crappy, messy writing. TT_TT

**Disclaimer: You know it, I know it. ;) I don't own Naruto or any of its characters. Simply the plot. :) **

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_Chapter 5_

**The Family**

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The green leaves swayed gently by the touch of the whispering breeze.

Naruto rubbed his nose as the humid smell of grass invaded his nostrils. With it, it carried the rain's flavor to the air—as it was not completely dry. As the sun slowly started to show itself, the water that remained slowly vaporized into air—adding yet another taste of humidity before eventually vanishing. The temperature also seemed to decrease as time passed by, though not significantly. He watched the sunlight shimmer softly on the water surface, resembling small diamonds which floated above the clear, transparent liquid. The light flickered as the water rippled from the motions the fishes made.

But he wasn't paying much attention to it.

_'…Happiness.'_

The word echoed repeatedly in his head, occupying his thoughts. For the past minutes—since he last spoke with the princess—that word had been playing in his mind, and he wanted to know why it bothered him so much. It was a word he often found at the end of fairytales, yet, he never really knew what it truly meant.

_'An emotion people would surely experience…'_

Had he ever experienced it before? It was hard to remember. From what he could recall, he had never experienced the strange emotion, especially in the way that the Princess had described it—a kind of tingling sensation. Even the word 'tingling' didn't fit well with the image of the Black Swan, his apartment, or the Leaf City.

_'An emotion worth treasuring…' _

What was so unique about happiness? What was it that made people seek and crave for it so badly? And _her_ look when he asked her to explain that word... there was a certain gleam in her pupil-less eyes that added brightness to her pale irises. It seemed as if saying the word itself had cheered her up.

But how, or more specifically, _why_?

He wanted to know.

_…Splash!_

His thoughts were interrupted by a sound that came from the water, stopping him in his tracks. He had been walking on a small bridge that went over and across a pond with his hands shoved inside his black trousers' pockets.

…Well, at least _they_ used to be.

Naruto glanced at the back of the woman in front of him. She walked with ease and a comfortable, slow pace. The color of her kimono screamed 'blood'; it was a deep, strong red, or so he thought. Her dark, wavy hair swayed behind her back and the wind delighted in playing with it. She then stopped, knowing he had also stopped the moment the vibrations his footsteps gave to the wooden bridge was gone.

"Is there something wrong?"

She turned to face the blond young man. Upon hearing the question, he stayed silent and replied only with a shook from the head. He was still preoccupied. Yuuhi Kurenai audibly allowed a small breath escape her nostrils.

"Well, then. Naruto," she said, "I'm going to show you around the Palace and introduce you to the people here. You'll be living here for some time, after all, so it's best that you know this place inside out." She smiled, and then continued. "It is a pretty big place, but I'm sure you'll get used to it soon."

Naruto answered absent-mindedly, "I suppose so."

Well, he did wonder what kind of people would be living in the Palace. He assumed they were probably… nobles; proper in everything—in speech, in manners, in clothing, and in mien. They'd act royally, with the stoic faces and feigned smiles common in most royals.

It wasn't that he was being sarcastic. It was just something he learned from experience. In fact, he had quite an unpleasant history with nobles. The missions that were given in Black Swan often had close connections with royals—daimyōs, country rulers, ministers, governors; virtually all kinds of positions in the sovereigns.

He had also learned from experience that people with such high positions tended to be much more selfish than they should be. They'd hire assassins—much like himself—to do their dirty work so they could gain benefits without being suspected, while the assassins took the blame. All they did was just sit back, take a sip of tea and watch everything unravel before their eyes with the kind of ease that irked and sometimes even disturbed the blond assassin.

"But before that," Kurenai's voice disrupted his muse, "I'll have you answer a question of mine."

Naruto tilted his head a bit to one side. Did people in this palace have a thing for questions, or something?

He shrugged and glanced at the pond below. "What would you like to ask?"

Kurenai approached the golden-haired young man and stood right beside him. She rested her forearms on the bridge's balusters and gazed at the pale blue sky.

"What do you think about the Princess?"

Naruto turned his head to look at Kurenai in a quick, instant motion.

The woman with crimson eyes noticed his reflexive movement—which intrigued her curiosity and formed assumptions in her mind. She shrugged and smiled. "Just asking."

The young man gazed back at the pond; his eyes seemed to dive under the clear surface of the water.

The Princess…

The first thing that came to his mind was—

"…Weird."

Kurenai quirked an eyebrow. That wasn't exactly what she had in mind. "Weird?"

"She's weird," he stated more clearly this time.

He _really_ did think she was weird. The way she acted, the way she talked, the way she glanced at him… it was all weird. He had _never_ met anyone who behaved the way she did. She was strange, odd…

_…Different._

"She's… not like everybody else."

"Not like everybody else?" Kurenai asked. His statements had ignited sparks of curiousness in her. "How is she different from everybody else?"

Naruto glanced at her. She was asking another question. Somehow this gave him the feeling that his 'people-in-Crescent-Moon-Palace-have-a-thing-for-questions' theory was true. From the interactions he had with them, questions were always involved in the conversations. But he supposed it couldn't be helped. He _was_ the new guy, after all.

Yet, the question rang in his ears. _How_ was the Princess different?

Well, she certainly didn't act like the other royals he met; she didn't have the reserved, haughty and distant behavior, all trademarks of high society. If people didn't call her princess, and she didn't live in the Palace, he would've probably thought she was just an ordinary civilian.

"Some things about her," he replied nonchalantly, "are just… weird."

"Like…?" Kurenai prodded him to explain.

Naruto stared at her with a 'stop asking questions' look, and a frown formed small knots on his forehead.

The woman clad in red kimono ignored it.

Naruto let out a snuffle from his nostrils and gazed back to the pond. "She's just... weird. That's all I can I say."

Kurenai smiled and joined him by staring at the pond, wherein a _bekko_ koi fish was swimming in circles around a white water lily that floated on the surface. "Well, she is shyer and more fragile than anyone. She's small, too, and many people who look at her generally think she's weak."

The koi fish stopped and poked the water lily with its mouth several times.

"There's no doubt that she's different, and I can see why you would think she's weird. Her eyes," the woman gently tapped her index finger on her temple, near one of her eyes, "is probably one of the reasons."

Naruto stood silent.

Indeed, her eyes were quite the strange ones. You could tell by only glancing at the pale orbs that those were not the kind of eyes humans would normally have. But what intrigued him the most were the things that were reflected in them.

Especially the… _softness_ they held.

Contrary to what he would've assumed about pupil-less eyes—he figured that with pupil-less eyes like hers, it would be next to impossible to express her feelings—he was surprised to find a very unique softness; a kind of tenderness he couldn't quite describe. Her eyes were somehow… rich with expressions and far from the coldness and indifference he expected in them. This was not only because of the uniqueness of them, but because of who she was.

Royalty…

Yet, he saw more than that. Despite the warmth he found in her eyes, he also saw a gleam of worry, a dash of sadness, and the feeling of… maybe loneliness? It was just a faint glint, but he didn't miss it. She was probably trying to hide this—he could somewhat tell—but her eyes betrayed her, even if just a little bit.

Simply put, her eyes were a mystery.

_She_ was a mystery.

Kurenai smiled. "Just wait until you get to know her better. It's only a matter of time before you discover just what kind of a person she really is."

Naruto watched as the water lily—which the fish had been mercilessly poking—dropped something to the pond. The koi approached the descending object, poked it with its mouth before eating it and swimming away.

It was a koi pellet that got stuck on the lily's leaf.

The young man's cerulean orbs drifted to look at the now clear blue firmament.

_'The kind of person she really is…'_

He had to admit, he _was_ curious.

When he glanced beside him to look at the crimson-eyed woman, she was not there anymore. Instead, he located her already on the other end of the small bridge.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" She gestured for him to come along. "Let's meet the others."

::

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

::

Hinata sneezed softly.

Rubbing her ticklish nose, she glanced through the window in front of her. Before her was a view of the garden, and within her line of sight stood the batch of Lilly of the Valley. She didn't know the small flowers could be seen from where she stood—behind one of the windows in The Great Hall.

The moon-eyed princess then glanced at her surroundings. The Great Hall was very quiet and peaceful—like always. She could hear the leaves' rustling sound, echoing in the empty room. The breeze then followed; a pleasant, hushed whisper she could barely hear.

She remembered Kurenai telling her how the Palace used to have many visitors, particularly during festival days. The former princess—her mother—held events at the Hall and the townspeople would come to celebrate together.

It used to have a cheerful, happy atmosphere. The sound of people chattering, laughing, and the clattering noises of plates and glasses filled the huge space. All the people would be there to celebrate—some often stayed late and party until the clock stroke midnight.

The Great Hall used to be lively—but not anymore.

…Not since she was born.

Sigh.

"Is something wrong, Hime-sama?"

Hinata jolted and quickly spun her body around to see the speaker's form. A gasp left her lips.

"Tsu… Tsunade-sama?"

She quickly straightened up her small figure and bowed deeply to show her respects for the one and only Holy Maiden; the one who held the highest authority in the Blue Moon Town, higher than the princess herself.

A soft chuckle rumbled in Tsunade's throat.

"You don't have to be that formal with me." She gently grabbed Hinata's chin and lifted it until she could see the princess' face. Hazel eyes bore right onto white, lavender-tinted ones. "I've been around you for almost eighteen years already, haven't I?"

Hinata smiled sincerely.

Tsunade was one of the very few who was nice to her. When the whole town was against her, the woman protected her from all possible harm. When the townspeople avoided her, Tsunade stood alongside her.

She was like the mother Hinata never really had.

Tsunade had done many things for her; things that made her feel like she still had a place in the world, that her sole existence was not just a waste of space on Earth. The Holy Maiden was the reason she was a princess in the first place, the reason why she was still able to breathe safely… the reason why she didn't feel as lonely anymore…

A simple _thank you_ wouldn't be enough to express her gratitude towards Tsunade.

Tsunade smiled back at her. "That's better. So, how's Naruto?"

"E-eh? Na… Naruto?"

Tsunade chuckled at the Princess' surprised face. "Yup. That blond haired young man—you've met him, right? What do you think about him?"

"Ah…" Hinata flustered. She fiddled with her fingers and looked down at her feet. She didn't know why but the question made her feel nervous.

What did she think about the indifferent, mysterious, golden-haired young man with beautiful colored eyes and whisker marks on his cheeks?

_…Different._

He was different.

"I…" she started, glancing at Tsunade who was waiting eagerly for an answer, "I think he's a nice person…"

Tsunade smiled. Hinata didn't have a pleasant memory about meeting someone new, so she always seemed a bit afraid every time the opportunity presented itself. This was the first time she was able to talk with someone she just met and even considered him nice. It was a good sign; one that indicated some improvement.

"That's great," Tsunade said. "Is… there anything else?"

Hinata could feel the heat creep up to her cheeks slowly, adding faint red shades on the fair skin. She hung her head down to hide the growing blush, twiddling her fingers yet again.

She smiled and glanced at the Holy Maiden. "I think t-that's all I can say… for now…"

::

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

::

Naruto rubbed his somewhat sore neck.

He and Kurenai had been walking around the Palace for about an hour and a half. The place really was big. Kurenai took him to meet the Palace's inhabitants, and he was somehow perplexed of the unusual amount for a place this big.

There were only eleven people residing in the Palace, including the Princess and Kurenai.

First, Kurenai took him to the Infirmary, the nearest building from the Great Hall. She introduced him to Haruno Sakura, a learning medic. She had pink, short hair which color depicted her name, and jade eyes. He thought she was kind of… well, coarse. She was _almost_ yelling at a patient who had his finger bandaged.

_"Stop whining! It's just a small scratch! It's not like you're bleeding to death or anything!"_

When he didn't stop, she punched his head with a fist.

Kurenai cringed.

Naruto was surprised to learn that this Sakura medic was the Holy Maiden's apprentice.

The patient, as Kurenai continued explaining, was named Rock Lee. Naruto thought he was kind of eccentric, with his bowl-shaped haircut, big round eyes and thick, fuzzy… eyebrows. He seemed to be whining about the scratch, saying something along the lines of _'…small cuts could bring big infections and it could endanger our youthful lives!'_

Kurenai said he was the Martial Arts instructor's assistant.

And then, they went to the next building—the Weaponry.

There, he met a young girl who had her ebony hair tied into two identical buns on each side of her head. He and Kurenai had found her wiping kunais and… humming. He figured she was your regular tomboy; however, she was still kind of… weird.

The next destination was the East Chamber. Kurenai informed this was where all of the girls slept—excluding the Princess.

There, he was introduced to Yamanaka Ino, who was busy admiring her reflection in the mirror. She had blonde hair and blue eyes—though unlike him, hers were lighter.

She, apparently, was the garden's caretaker that the Princess had mentioned. But, contrary to what was expected of someone with her job, she didn't have the smallest speck of dirt or moist soil on her, and from what he could deduct, she seemed to care a great deal about her looks—she glanced at the mirror quite often to check herself out.

Naruto heard Ino ask where the Princess was, and Kurenai replied that she might still be in the garden. After that, Ino smiled and excused herself

Noticing the faint traces of curiosity in Naruto, Kurenai clarified that Ino was very close with Hime-sama.

After that, they went to the West Chamber, where the males slept. There, Naruto was introduced to two of the Palace's guards—or so Kurenai said. One was Inuzuka Kiba. He had spiky, messy brown hair and black eyes with narrow pupils. He also had red, fang-shaped marks under his eyes and sharp tusks that protruded through his lips. He looked like some sort of canine; a wolf, maybe, and he also seemed to be the rather brash type.

The other one was named Aburame Shino. He had black, spiky hair and wore a grey coat with a collar tall enough to cover his mouth. His eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses he wore. Naruto figured he was more of the quiet type, as Kiba was doing almost all of the talking, while Shino simply adjusted his shades every now and then. He did answer when asked, though, and corrected Kiba when the loud boy said something wrong.

_"Yeah, Shino here used to sweep the floors and make the beds before he was promoted to become a Guard."_

_"...In your dreams, Kiba."_

And did he mention that there's a huge, white dog with brown-furred ears named Akamaru? Well, this supposed dog was Kiba's companion.

From the West Chamber, they went to the Dining Room. Attached to the Dining Room was the kitchen, and there Naruto was introduced to Teuchi and Ayame—the father and daughter who worked as cooks for the Palace. Teuchi was an old man who constantly smiled. He had narrow eyes, and his hair was hidden under the white cap he wore—though strands of grey hair sneaked up here and there.

Ayame smiled a lot, too. She seemed to be a nice, cheerful young girl. Her long, brown hair fell to her back, and she wore a white bandana on her head.

Next, Kurenai took him to the Training Field, where he met Jiraiya.

He had long, silvery, spiky hair that was tied behind his back in a ponytail. He wore a forehead protector with the character 'Oil' carved on the iron material. He was eccentric, too, and kind of… funky. He had a trail of blood showing up from behind his nostrils when he asked Kurenai what underwear color she was wearing that day—which resulted with a smack on the head.

Pervert.

That was how Kurenai described him.

Aside from being a shameless pervert, Kurenai also explained that he was the Martial Arts Instructor and therefore whom Naruto would be training under the next day.

_"Don't judge a book by the cover, kid. I'm known as the great Toad Sage from the East. I'm also a professional novelist. The books I've written have had such magnificent impact on people's lives. They guide them through the wonders of adulthood where—"_

_Smack! _

And thus the introductions concluded after that. A weird bunch, Naruto thought. That was for sure.

As he and Kurenai walked towards another room, Naruto glanced at the sky. Its colors had amalgamated into an array of different kinds of orange and hints of dark, inky blue. While the day continued to darken and the sun shied away, hiding behind curtains of white, cotton clouds, the wind that blew brought a certain cold to the air.

He stared at the twilight sky for another moment before he continued to follow Kurenai.

::

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::

Kurenai slowly slid open the shōji door that led to the Tea Room.

She found herself smiling every time she stepped into that room. The calm, peaceful atmosphere and the scent of tea leaves relaxed her nerves. The Tea Room was one of the rooms that held a certain memory to her. Once upon a time noble women from other countries, aristocrats, and princesses used to gather there for tea ceremonies.

She remembered Hinata's mother held a tea ceremony in the spring when the cherry blossoms bloomed. Kurenai was one of the guests in the ceremony; though she thought she shouldn't have been one. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful event.

Kurenai smiled nostalgically.

She entered the room, slowly turning around to face Naruto who walked behind her.

"This is the Tea Room, Naruto," she said to the blond. "This is also where I tutor Hinata-sama for her lessons."

Naruto frowned visibly, "Lessons?"

The woman clad in red kimono nodded. "I am her tutor, after all. I teach her the things a Princess should know. This is where I've taught her about the tea ceremony, calligraphy, and flower arrangement."

Kurenai glanced at Naruto. "Though we don't hold ceremonies here anymore…"

Naruto tilted his head to one side a little bit. "Why not?"

The woman looked up to the ceiling before she turned her whole body to face Naruto. "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

Kurenai sighed as she glanced through the window nearby. "The Princess is hated by the townspeople. Ever since she was born, people have accused her of being abnormal. Some even say she's not human." She gritted her teeth, trying her best to suppress the feelings of anger that washed through her. "They shun her. They have _always_ shunned her. I've tried to make them understand that she's just like everyone else, that only the color of her eyes is a little different."

A silence seemed to reverberate in the room.

"But they won't listen." Kurenai clenched her fists by her sides. "They've even called her a monster."

Behind her, Naruto's eyebrows furrowed.

The lady took a deep breath, trying to calm her temper. "How…" her voice trembled, "could they even call her that, when they don't even know her?"

Sometimes, Kurenai felt like she just wanted to punch the townspeople right on their faces.

…Like now.

"To avoid being hurt by _them_, Lady Tsunade forbade the Princess from going anywhere outside the Palace." She approached the window and gazed upon the darkened twilight sky, her scarlet eyes giving a dazed look. "I know she has always felt lonely… she even tried to escape the Palace once when she was four."

Kurenai's lips formed a small smile at the memory. "Things are getting better now, though."

The quiet atmosphere thickened, leaving the voice of the breeze to enter their eardrums.

However, Kurenai didn't expect him to break the silence.

"I… can relate to that."

Kurenai quickly turned around to face the golden-haired knight in a fast, swift motion, "You… can?"

The young man's eyes stared at the tatami mats below, though his eyes didn't seem to really look at floor—it was the look one gave when one was in a deep thought. He put his hands in his trouser's pockets, and glanced at Kurenai.

"Both of us… seem to have more than one thing in common…"

Kurenai was bemused at the statement—she didn't know what exactly he meant by that.

But the bewilderment was soon replaced by the feeling of surprise when she heard the sound of bells ringing from the Dining Room. She looked at the sky, which was now dark.

"It's already this late? I didn't realize it," she said. Kurenai went through the Dining Room and out into the hallway where they had come from.

She gestured for Naruto to come with her. "Come on. You must be hungry, right?"

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Naruto found himself in the Dining Room, which at the moment was at the verge of utter chaos.

While before it had a calm ambiance, all of the Palace's denizens had now gathered at the long, white, wooden table. They sat and patiently waited for the food, whispering if they wanted to talk about something to somebody.

That was, of course, until Teuchi and Ayame came out announcing today's menu.

_"Ramen! Who wants ramen?"_

In the blink of an eye, it had become the turbulence they were now in.

At the end of the table where Naruto sat, he frowned deeply as he watched the commotion unravel. On his left was Kurenai who was busy smacking Jiraiya for trying to take some of her ramen. On his right were two empty chairs, where Teuchi and Ayame would soon sit.

Beside Jiraiya was the quiet guy, Shino, whose eyebrows twitched when Kiba—who sat next to him—took his ramen bowl and ate it while Shino was still preparing his chopsticks. Kiba cackled as he finished Shino's bowl. The guy didn't show any anger, however; he just adjusted his sunglasses instead.

Suddenly, the canine resembling guy stopped his cackle and his face strained.

Immediately after, Kiba laughed uncontrollably again and fell from his chair, holding his hurting sides. Shino adjusted his dark shades yet again, grabbing Kiba's untouched ramen bowl.

"You didn't forget that bugs obey my commands, did you?"

Kiba's eyes widened at the statement and he began to scratch his body frantically, unable to stop his laughs from the ticklish feeling.

Across them were the girls Sakura and Ino, and next to them was the guy with fuzzy eyebrows, Lee. The girls were fighting… over the flavors of their ramen.

"Give me your _miso_ ramen, you field forehead!"

"What! Over my _dead_ body, Ino-pig! Give me your shōyu ramen first!"

"Hell _no_! I won't give it to you even if all the daimyōs begged me to! Now give me, I want miso!"

Lee stood up. "Hey, hey, why don't you all be youthful and just exchange your ramen bo—"

"_Don't you _dare_ interrupt, Lee!_" the fighting ramen rivals exclaimed in unison, both giving death glares to the guy in the painfully green suit.

Naruto felt the urge to sigh at the rambunctious girls who were now yelling at each other with their foreheads clashing—before his eyes caught sight of _her_ at the other end of the table; sitting across him.

The Princess.

She was eating her ramen noodles slowly and calmly, smiling a bit when she savored the food's taste. The wisps of her raven hair fell gracefully to her cheeks' side, framing her face.

Somehow… as he looked at her, the feelings of curiosity resurfaced.

He watched Tenten approach the Princess and tell her something while glancing at Sakura and Ino—who were still fighting over the ramen; and at Kiba who was still rolling on the floor, hands searching his body, ordering Shino to stop. Shino, however, just slowly ate his ramen; _Kiba_'s ramen, actually.

The Princess' eyes widened at the sights. She stood up and quickly approached Shino. She talked to him about something with a worried expression, and suddenly after that, Kiba's laughing stopped. The now breathless guy muttered a 'thank you' between his gasps.

This made Naruto curious.

She then walked towards Sakura and Ino, Tenten following behind her. She smiled kind of… anxiously, while muttering something he couldn't hear and put her hands softly on the blonde and pink-haired girls' shoulders. The fighting duet soon sat down, pouting, while the Princess exchanged their bowls of ramen. A smug smile bloomed on Lee's lips.

"See? I told you! If we're youthful, any kind of problems can be solved!" Lee exclaimed with sparkling bright eyes, moving his hands in a grand gesture.

The medic and the flower expert exchanged glances and rolled their eyes simultaneously. Tenten giggled. The Princess smiled and looked at Lee, joined by the other girls. Kiba and Shino glanced at the green guy too.

They all laughed together.

The sound of laughter rang oddly in Naruto's ears—it was a sound he wasn't used to hearing.

"They sure are cheerful, these kids," Kurenai remarked.

Naruto glanced at her. "You said that the people hated the Princess," he turned to glance at the now smiling pale-eyed young lady, "but she seems to… get along with the others just fine."

Suddenly Jiraiya's voice entered the conversation. "That's because we're family."

"…Family?" Naruto asked, befuddled. _Family_…

Kurenai nodded slowly. "These young people… They're all orphans." She looked at the group of teenagers. "After Hinata-sama was born and her mother… died, the people left the Palace one by one, until the ones that stayed were only me, Lady Tsunade, and Jiraiya.

"That is, until one day a matron from an orphanage came with these young kids—when they were still babies, of course. Tenten and Lee were the oldest when they came; about one year old." She smiled. "Anyway, the matron said she wanted the kids to stay and live here. Her orphanage didn't have enough money to feed and take care of all the children, so she decided to give the younger ones to us. She knew that the Palace was almost empty."

Jiraiya nodded, and Kurenai continued her explanation: "They've lived here since then. They are all very close. Since they're all orphans, they know and understand each other's pain very well. Luckily, the wounds in their hearts slowly healed with the presence of one another."

The white-haired man chuckled. "We have a strong bond that normal families don't have. Sometimes… a family isn't just formed by the bond of blood; what's important is the bond of the hearts, so this is no different than a regular family having dinner."

Family… A dinner with family…

It was certainly different; the mood surrounding him was nothing like the atmosphere he felt when he had dinner in his untidy apartment.

There he had always felt… alone.

Likewise, his loneliness was no different on the rare occasions that Black Swan members gathered to dine together. But that was to be expected. When professional assassins ate dinner together, what reason could there be to laugh like those presently surrounding him?

They were so…loud, noisy… and lively.

Naruto glanced at the young guys and girls and the smiles they wore.

_Is that what it felt like… to have a family?_

A clattering noise interrupted his muse, and an unfamiliar scent played with his sense of smell. Even if it had been lingering in the air all along, the aroma was now stronger than ever. Naruto glanced at a bowl filled with noodles and soup.

"It's your ramen." Teuchi grinned. He sat on Naruto's right while Ayame sat next to his father, both with bowls of ramen as well. "I'm sorry it took us so long to prepare."

The old man clasped his hands as a form of apology. He chuckled. "We made yours special. You're a newcomer here, right, so I thought we'd make you a special ramen as a welcome. But don't tell the others." Teuchi broke his own chopsticks and winked.

"Try it!" Ayame urged cheerfully.

Naruto broke his own chopsticks and observed the bowl with its contents for several moments before he dipped the chopsticks into the food and nipped some of the noodles with his chopsticks. He put the noodles into his mouth.

The next thing he knew, he was putting more and more noodles into his mouth.

The food… it had a _unique_ flavor. His taste buds seemed to be… pleased, and the ramen was addicting.

"H-How was it?"

Naruto was a bit surprised to hear that soft, familiar voice. He glanced upwards to meet the Princess' visage. When he looked at the surroundings, he was confounded to find an empty Dining Room. He didn't realize that the others had already left.

The golden-haired guy stared at his bowl.

"It was… good."

He took some noodles to his mouth again.

…Yeah. It really _was_ good.

Hinata giggled softly—which made Naruto look at her with a baffled expression.

"…What?"

The Princess brought a hand upon her mouth to muffle the sound of her small laughter. "I-It's nothing…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes while still staring at her—this, somehow, made the young lady's laughter grew louder.

_…Weird. Really._

But why did he get the feeling that… as odd as it is, he… didn't mind the sound of her laughter?

It must've been the ramen. It _had_ to be.

"I'm glad you liked it…" She smiled, an expression of relief spreading on her fair-skinned face, "Ah, d-don't forget to say _thank you_ to Teuchi-san and Ayame-san…"

"Thank you…?"

The raven-haired Princess nodded slowly. "T-They made this r-ramen especially for you, didn't they? Kurenai-sensei told me… to always say _thank you_ whenever p-people did something nice for us…" She smiled and grabbed Naruto's now empty ramen bowl. "I-I'll take this to the kitchen. Will… Will you come with me?"

Naruto ruffled his golden locks, unsure about the answer. "Uh… Yeah."

Why couldn't he say no?

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"Ah, Hinata-chan! What brings you here?" Ayame greeted cheerfully.

Hinata showed Naruto's ramen bowl to the brown-haired cook. "Umm… I just wanted to put this bowl on the s-sink."

"Well, here, let me take it." Ayame smiled.

"Ah, n-no, it's alright! I… I'll take them to the sink myself… Please, Ayame-san, you must be tired…" Hinata smiled softly.

Ayame chuckled at the Princess' flustered behavior. "Thanks a lot, Hinata-chan."

Hinata muttered a 'no problem' under her breath and smiled before going to the kitchen sink where piles of plates, glasses, and bowls were placed.

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Uh… hey," he called.

Ayame turned to look at the blond. "You mean me?"

"…Yeah." He wasn't used to calling people's names, let alone saying _thank you_ to those who had done something nice for him—though there were hardly any, if he could recall.

He ruffled his golden tresses yet again, "Thank… Thank you. And your father, too."

Ayame stood silently like she was taken aback, her eyes slightly widened. It was as if she was processing Naruto's words. Then a wide grin threatened to split her now bright face.

"Sure! You're welcome! We'll make you some again next time," she replied.

Hinata showed up behind Ayame and then stood beside Naruto—which made the blond felt a little bit surprised. The Princess bowed to Ayame and smiled softly.

"Thank you f-for everything, Ayame-san…" she said. "Good night, and have a pleasant r-rest…"

Ayame chuckled and waved her hand. "Oh geez, Hinata-chan, don't be so formal with me!" She laughed. "Well, I hope both of you have a pleasant rest, too. I'll be going now, Hinata-chan, Uzumaki-san," the bubbly girl bowed, "good night!"

She then left, leaving Naruto and Hinata alone in the kitchen.

"Umm…" Hinata fiddled with her fingers. "I… I'll escort you to where you'll be r-resting…"

Naruto looked at the Princess, his eyes staring right onto her pearly ones.

She looked startled and averted her gaze when her eyes met his, head hung down to hide her pink-tinged cheeks. "P-Please follow me…"

The Princess turned around and walked towards the door, leaving the kitchen and the Dining Room. Naruto followed behind her as they entered a field with green grass, the night air caressing their skin. They walked on a paved path between the emerald leaves.

Hinata momentarily stopped, waiting for Naruto, who was behind her. The young man noticed this, wondering why she stopped. He paused next to her.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, tilting his head a bit to one side, taking a better look of her face.

Hinata blinked several times and twiddled her fingers yet again. "Nothing's wrong… I-I just felt uncomfortable walking in front of someone e-else…"

The confusion on Naruto's face dissipated. He then shrugged. "I'll just walk by your side, then."

Hinata blinked again and hung her head lower. She brought a hand upon her cheeks to feel the warmth. Her heart was beating like crazy, hammering against the walls of her chest.

_It's always… something new, when I'm with him._

The young man beside her yawned audibly, which startled the girl a bit. Somehow, she felt guilt rise in her heart.

"I-I'm sorry…" she said softly—barely above a whisper. "You must be tired, but I… I made you come with m-me to the kitchen…"

That statement made Naruto's eyebrows furrow a little as he felt something… tickled his insides.

_'What is it?'_

Naruto shrugged nonchalantly, "It's no big deal… I'm not that tired, anyway."

No.

He _was_ tired. He really was. He was hesitant and reluctant before when she asked him to come to the kitchen. It was just… well, it didn't matter. She apologized, right? It was okay.

_But why did he lie?_

Naruto frowned at the thought, and dismissed it instantly.

Hinata glanced at him. "Thank you…" she muttered.

That didn't go unnoticed by the blond.

He blinked and ruffled his golden locks. "Uh… Yeah."

He felt awkward. It was very unconventional for an assassin to feel like that—especially when the person he was supposed to kill was the one who created this sense of discomfort.

…For a while, he had almost forgotten his reason for being there in the first place.

It must've been the atmosphere that had overwhelmed him. He firmly reminded himself of his mission, and, gathering his composure, he enveloped himself with the barrier that had been at the verge of collapse throughout the day.

No more. He would not let his guard down again.

In the meantime, he'd focus on gaining her trust.

They arrived at a wooden building that was separated from the other connected seven. The Princess stepped on a small series of stairs and opened the door to the building, requesting Naruto to come in.

When he set foot into the room, the first thing he saw was a mirror with ivy leaves as the frame. Under the mirror was a table, with a white vase that held _snowdrop_ flowers on it. The room was a bit small, and two white doors stood on each side of the mirror. Across the doors were windows covered by white, translucent curtains.

"Umm… Y-Your room is the one on the left," Hinata's voice was soft, and as she rubbed her eyes with her petite hands, her tiredness showed. She smiled a small smile and glanced at him. "I… hope you'll have a nice rest… Thank you for e-everything today…" She bowed. She really meant every word—he probably didn't know, but he had done things that made a difference in her life; no matter how small.

"Good night," she said, but right before she was about to turn around and head to her own room, his voice stopped her.

"Hey," he called.

Hinata turned her head to face him.

"Do you hate the townspeople?"

It was a question that he asked almost on impulse. But he felt the need to ask her about that—the need to _know_.

Hinata's eyes widened, her mouth opened and a small gasp escaped her throat, "Umm… w-what?"

Unperturbed, he repeated the question: "Do you hate the townspeople?"

Hinata seemed to freeze for a while and fidgeted her fingers in a nervous gesture. Her eyes stared at the floor, as if searching for something.

"I-I…" she began, her voice trembling, "I don't h-hate the townspeople…"

A small frown formed on the golden-haired guy. "Even though they hate you, and treat you like you don't exist?"

Hinata seemed to flinch and she stopped playing with her fingers—squeezing them hard instead. "I… I suppose they have their own r-reasons…" she said, her eyes still gazed upon the mahogany floor. "I-I've felt… hurt, sometimes… but then again, I believe that they're n-not evil…"

"You say that even though they've done things to hurt you…?"

Anger seemed to rise in his chest. He remembered the people in Leaf City who treated him badly. He resented them for what they had done to him. He _hated_ them.

Why didn't she…?

Hinata smiled sadly. "T-They, like you and me, are h-humans… we are imperfect…" Her ivory eyes gave a dazed look. "I just hope that one d-day, people could… a-acknowledge and accept me…"

Naruto was taken aback for a moment.

"Will you… forgive them?"

She was silent for a while, and then she glanced at him, smiling. "Everybody… deserves a s-second chance…"

Hinata tugged her kimono's sleeves, clenching them to ease the nervous feelings and the sadness that seemed to reappear every now and then.

"I… I don't want to ruin their lives…" she whispered with a shaky voice. "I believe… p-people deserve a chance to find their own happy endings…

"Maybe… just maybe, I'll find my own, too…"

Naruto's cerulean eyes were locked on the small figure in front of him. He realized by now, that they didn't only have some things in common—but different things as well.

She was a… _unique_ one.

Naruto shook his head.

He turned around and walked to the door that led to his room. He put a hand in his pocket, the other one grabbing the doorknob.

"You have an idealistic, naïve point of view," he stated, making the Princess' eyes widen.

"In reality, people are much crueler than you can imagine. They are selfish, and they become greedy when they want things. Some would manipulate others for their own gain."

He turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. "Very few have their happy endings. Many have suffered from the pain that they have caused. Do you think those people who only think about themselves deserve a second chance?"

Hinata bit her lower lip gently and squeezed her hands.

"Believe it or not, it's the reality," Naruto continued. "But…"

The Princess' head lifted up to glance at the young man with golden, unruly locks.

Naruto stepped into his room, and stopped with a pensive expression on his face.

_…But he had to admit. _

He looked at the princess with a look she couldn't decipher, and before quietly shutting the door before him, he said:

"I like your ideals… they're better than the reality."

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**A**_**uthor's Notes: **

I tried to make this chapter a tad longer, and I hope I didn't end up making it too long for your liking. _ I tried to develop their relationship further in this chapter as well. :) Did I rush too much? Please feel free to tell me your opinions about it. ^_^

And here are answers to some questions:

_**The Unknown Twinkie:** This is great but why is hinata woundering why naruto not mad or hating her, shouldn't she be happy that naruto is talking to her instead ignoring her? I am woundering something else, how long was naruto part of the root, and did naruto ever expireance happiness or any happy emotions when he was young before he was part of the root or did he never had happy emotion?_

: Well, I think she's wondering because it never happened before. She wanted to know why he didn't hate her, but she's relieved as well. ^_^ Naruto was part of the Black Swan ever since he was a kid, I think. ^_^; When Danzou took custody of him, he was already part of the Black Swan. I suppose he never had a happy emotion before, but a kind of calm and content feeling when he read fairytale books. :)

_**glitz0101:** __ hi, awesome story! How old are Naruto and Hinata in this? Oh, and can you have neji in the story somewhere? He's so awesome! :) Great story! :D_

: Thank you very much! :D I suppose they were 18 years old in this. :) I don't know if I can put Neji in the story, since the plot has already planned before... I'm very sorry. x(

_**YomixAyane:** This is really cute! I love this story and the way you describe everything. Haha, and the fact that they act the way they should from their pasts and such. One thing that has been slightly annoying me though is Naruto's change in personality, I know that it goes with his past and all I just have one request..._  
_ When Naruto and Hinata get closer... could you have his original personality shine through a little bit...? Sorry, I love his attitude and he just wouldn't be the same otherwise. Well, love your story!_

: Thanks so much for the kind words! :D I'll try to do so, though he may not be as exuberant and cheerful as he is in the original manga... x(

_**KantonKageX**: Well, I'm not surpised that Sarutobi did that b/c he is either gullible or toomuch of a wimp to help Naruto. Anyway where is Minato-sama and Kushina-sama. Please elaborate._

: Naruto was an orphan in an orphanage at the beginning of the story, so I didn't enter any explanation about Kushina and Minato because they both died in the tragedy, I suppose. Though I wanted to think that both of them died protecting their child. :) I'm very sorry to have disappoint you. x(

_**Sword2009: **hm odd story...what to say what to say..? well i have one question then a comment hm. Will Pain and the rest Akatsuki appear in this fic? and if so a major plot twist or minor...? opps asked two question... also so far i think your doing a good job on this..So keep writing._

: Thank you! And please feel free to ask questions :D I think Pein and the rest of the Akatsuki won't appear here. x( I wanted it to be a minor plot twist, since I don't want to change the storyline too much, but I still don't know myself. ^_^;

Thank you, as always, for all of you who took your time reading this story! :D I hope you enjoyed it. ^_^

o0o0o

**_Mentions of Honor:_**

_winterkaguya_

_The Unknown Twinkie_

_glitz0101_

_Rose Tiger_

_YomixAyane_

_y-in-flame_

_Karasu18_

_KantonKageX_

_JustAnotherNaruhinaFan:)_

_ganga_

_Sword2009_

_Doobie_

_FailOverLoad_

_Perpetual159 _

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_

And thank you for_ Terminus Purgo_, _oceanmoon_, and _Burnning Truth_ for putting this story on their community! *bows* :DD

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Muchas Gracias, everyone! I heart heart heart you. :)

o0o0o

**Trivias:**

- _shōji door_: is a kind of sliding doors present in Japanese houses. It has translucent paper over a frame of wood that held together a kind of grid of bamboo.

- _bekko koi fish_: is a white, red, or yellow skinned koi with black markings.


	6. The Touch

**Disclaimer: Same ol', same ol'. :)**

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_Chapter 6_

**The Touch**

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Hinata's eyes fluttered open.

She squinted as the bright sunshine raided her vision. The morning light granted warmth on her fair skin, and it felt heavenly. The fragrant, fresh air elated her sense of smell, too, and the sound of birds chirping filled the air with a lovely melody.

All in all, it was really a fine start to her day.

She rose from the comfort of her bed and walked towards the window. Her eyes gazed through the transparent glass at the bright, blue sky above and the newly bloomed cherry blossom trees. The sunlight illuminated the scenery, emitting a kind of a natural, radiant glow on the landscape.

A small smile formed on her lips.

The atmosphere of spring began to enclose the Blue Moon Town, including the Crescent Moon Palace, and Hinata welcomed the season endearingly, for it was one of her favorite seasons.

Spring reminded her of her mother; of her graceful looks and sweet personality, as Kurenai often recounted to her. To meet her mother was her secret wish—a desire beyond her reach that she kept silently.

Her petite hands traveled to her chest, and she clutched something under her nemaki's fabric. Carefully, she pulled it out and opened her grasp. On her palm rested a beautiful, intricate, blue, cloud-shaped symbol with a small peach selenite gemstone on the middle. The symbol was attached to a silver necklace she wore around her neck.

The necklace was a present, a gift from her dear mother. Kurenai gave it to her on her seventh birthday, and it was truly the best birthday gift she ever received. The woman said that the selenite gemstone on the middle meant that her mother would always protect and watch upon her.

Her mother gave a message through the moonlike stone that she wanted the wounds on Hinata's heart to heal, and then turn into feelings of acceptance and forgiveness.

Hinata cherished that necklace; she always wore it wherever she went. It was a memoir, a proof that the former princess loved her daughter sincerely. Whenever Hinata felt sad, the necklace acted as a reminder of her mother's love, and a reminder to never be resentful towards the Town's inhabitants for treating her cruelly. But most importantly, the necklace served to always remind her to be happy.

Hinata missed her mother, even if she never got the opportunity to meet her.

The young girl sighed as a feeling of longing swelled in her chest, blissful yet poignant.

_Knock, knock._

Hinata blinked curiously at the knock, charily tucking the necklace back behind her clothes.

"Hinata, are you awake?" a voice called behind the door. The princess smiled when she recognized that cheerful, friendly, feminine voice.

"I am," she answered. Her voice was as soft as ever, but it had a loving tone as an addition. Even if her visitor was behind the door, she could somehow feel that the person was smiling.

"Great!" the voice jovially replied. "You know, I was kind of afraid since you rarely woke up this late. It's nine in the morning already! I thought you were kidnapped or gone or something."

Hinata giggled as she heard a dramatic sigh from behind the door.

"Anyway, I'm coming in, alright?"

With a clicking sound and a creaking noise the door opened, followed by a familiar figure with soft, long blonde hair tied in a ponytail. Her pale blue eyes twinkled slightly as she entered the room and a playful smile was plastered on her face.

She curtsied in a playing manner. "Good morning, My Lady."

A small laugh escaped Hinata's lips as she imitated her friend's action. "Good morning, Ino-san."

Ino folded her slim arms while raising an eyebrow, and Hinata giggled at her friend's antics. She always loved Ino's visits in the morning. The blonde girl's enthusiastic personality never failed to further endow her with an optimistic aura; it made her heart flutter with the same cheeriness that the flaxen maiden seemed to radiate.

"So, care for a stroll?"

Ino stretched one arm, and Hinata grabbed it while laughing along. They both left Hinata's bedroom and headed outside.

This was a game they liked to play sometimes, just for the fun. Ino liked to say that royal mannerisms were kind of troublesome, and that the dark haired princess' studies about them were too strict. Hinata replied that they were quite fun sometimes, and showed Ino a small part of the demureness. Thus the little entertainment began.

The young princess didn't really mind this whole etiquette business. In all honesty she _couldn't_ mind—not when she was a part of the royalty, even if she didn't consider herself to be much like one. More than anything, the lessons she received had to mostly do with decorum, anyway.

However, sometimes she _did_ wonder whether or not the lessons Kurenai-sensei taught her were necessary. It was not that she doubted Kurenai's instructions, but it was the fact that the education she obtained would probably be little of use.

Many years ago she had had had her first meeting with a sovereign, and as far as she was concerned, that one meeting had potentially been the last as well for the very same reason the civilians avoided her.

Hinata shook her head, trying to dismiss the uncomfortable and hurtful memory of the past.

…But even when that time comes—if it ever comes—when she would become a true part of the royalty as she applied these mannerisms, would she be able to handle it? Would _they_ stand being in the same room with her?

Would she be able to… prove herself?

She didn't have the answers, but she somehow felt like she could… _try_. She was not feeling all too afraid of people anymore. She figured that maybe… maybe they could try to understand her as well. They could try to… _accept_ her the way she was.

Before, such thoughts never occurred to her even in her wildest dreams. But these past days, she was somehow feeling a bit more confident in herself. The self-degrading habit she used to possess was starting to disappear slowly, like traces of footprints on the sand being washed away by the ocean's waves.

She didn't know exactly why, but somehow she had a feeling that it had something to do with… with _his_ presence. It… could be, right? Perhaps it was his—

"Hinata?"

Ino's voice blurred her muse and questions, dragging her back to reality. She blinked several times, startled at first.

Ino let out a gust of breath from her nostrils. "I knew it. Something is bothering you."

A small, but visible blush grew ever so slowly on the princess' cheeks. Sometimes the way her best friend predicted her so precisely enthralled the raven-haired girl. As if there was nothing she could hide completely in front of Ino. The blonde lass could read her easily, like she was an open book with pages filled with big-sized letters.

But Hinata tried nonetheless, not to show her uneasiness. "N-No, I… I'm alright, really."

Ino narrowed her eyes, doubting her hesitant, not-so-assuring assurance. After a while, she finally sighed and gave in to Hinata's words.

Although, guessing shouldn't hurt, right?

"…Does it have to do with Naruto?" she asked slowly, wondering if it was the right thing to ask.

Hinata was caught off guard.

Betraying the princess' will to not answer the sudden question, her blush turned into a deeper, darker shade of crimson. Witnessing her friend's reaction, understanding and amusement dawned on Ino's visage. A small smirk grew on her lips.

Oh, this seemed like fun.

"I see," she said in a very slow and melodic tone—much to Hinata's awkwardness. The towheaded girl's smile broadened; turning into a playful grin. "It's classic tale, you know—the Princess falling for her Knight."

"I… Ino-san!"

The said person laughed, clearly enjoying herself in teasing the pale-eyed princess a bit. Hinata, however, hung her head lower to her chest, letting the dark wisps of her hair hid the reddish blush on her face. "It's—it's not like that… I-I… It… wouldn't be proper. I just… We…"

She trailed off, at a loss for words. Chuckling, Ino pinched the nervous girl's cheek lightheartedly, "Relax, Hinata! I was just messing with you," she smiled. "But it really was _him_ in your mind, right?"

Hinata blinked several times. Was she really that obvious?

She sighed inwardly.

_Naruto… _

It has been two weeks and four days since he came to the Palace, and during those days as well she began to feel the small, little changes in herself. Maybe it was his words that helped grew her formerly dim self-assurance. After all, everything seemed to start from… that night.

"_I like your ideals… they're better than the reality." _

He liked… her ideals?

Certainly, she was surprised at first, but she couldn't hold back the feelings of… gladness… of relief and _bliss_. She couldn't stop smiling, and the words rang continuously in her ears afterwards. She reminded herself that it could be something she misheard, or something he didn't mean to say. She was not even _worthy _of… of such kind words.

But it felt really, really pleasant.

It was a feeling she rarely grasped, and she almost felt like she didn't ever want to let go of it. Maybe it was the fact that he said there was a thing about her which he _liked_ at their first day of meeting. He was the first one to ever do so. It made her feel that perhaps she could have the same luck with other people, too.

The fear of meeting someone new was still there, nevertheless, and she was aware that she was not a kind of person people would approve of right away. However, now she felt like she could _strive_ to overcome that apprehension.

She wanted to return the favor.

Nevertheless, Naruto himself seemed to put up a barrier around him, as if he wasn't comfortable with letting anyone getting too close. He was starting to get along with the people around him, however, yet he still seemed so far. She had yet to see him smile, or see his eyes gleam even with the slightest joy. And his sadness… it worried her.

She wanted to help him, to erase the loneliness she saw. She wanted to be his friend; someone who could lend him a shoulder when he needed it.

She wanted to see him _smile_.

He was such a mystery to her. He looked indifferent, secluded, and unreachable, yet he somehow managed to be encouraging… and kind. He might not know, but he was able to change her with only simple words.

She felt really thankful to him.

A giggle distorted Hinata's thoughts. She turned her head to face the blonde girl beside her, and couldn't help but smile along with the pretty lass. Ino glanced at her with a particular gleam in her aquamarine eyes.

"Well, it seems that I'm right, after all." She grinned. "You should absolutely tell me if there's really _anything _between the two of you—lately there's been no real good gossip around here!"

"I-Ino-san! It's-It's not like that," Hinata chided softly while laughter chimed in Ino's maw. Oh, was her blonde friend still in the teasing mode? She could feel her cheeks heated up for the umpteenth time, and she squeezed her fingers to ease the awkwardness.

Moments after, she found that they were standing in front of the Dining Room. Suddenly, Ino grabbed the princess by the arm and pulled her into the building. She smiled, and then replied to Hinata's questioning look.

"Well, Princess, you missed breakfast, didn't you?"

::

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

::

_Punch. Kick. Jab. Punch. _

Jiraiya watched intently as colors of green and golden flashed in front of him. It was training time, and he had put Naruto in a spar session with Rock Lee. It has been around two weeks or so since he trained the golden-haired young man.

His stamina amazed the older man. He could spar with Lee for a considerable amount of time and then spar with Kiba or Shino afterwards, and if that wasn't enough, he could still do more push-ups or tracking right after. However, what even more bewildering was that when Naruto was done with all of the training, his tiredness didn't show all too much.

But then again, this wasn't all that surprising since, after all, Naruto _was_ the warden of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

It surprised Jiraiya at first, of course, when he heard about the creature residing in the young man's navel, but living in the Palace with the orphan kids taught him not to judge people based on their pasts. Admittedly, the golden-haired guard didn't seem dangerous at all, which was an entirely different for the being inside him. He even seemed quite nice—well, if only he talks more and frowns less.

The grey-haired old man observed as Naruto jumped, dodging a sweeping low kick from Lee. He was still in midair when he suddenly disappeared in a flash, and reappeared behind the green-clothed guy in the blink of an eye. Luckily, Rock Lee managed to evade from Naruto's counterattack just as fast, and he jumped back to create a distance between them.

Jiraiya rubbed his chin with a finger.

Indeed, Naruto's speed was excellent as well. He even matched Lee, if not slightly faster. It seemed that flash steps were not a difficult thing for him to do. He did them with such ease and effortlessness, which made Jiraiya ponder if he had taken any special trainings in those skills.

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, trying to get a more detailed vision of the quick-paced brawl in front of him. The dust from the Training Field's grounds did haze his sight, but he could still catch Lee and Naruto's figures who were now staring at each other attentively, both panting from controlled exhaustion.

For what seemed like a long moment, both just kept standing silently, like their feet were fixed on the ground. Their eyes were set on each other with fierceness lingered on their irises, searching for any opening.

And suddenly the two disappeared from sight, before reappearing again simultaneously in a split second after. Fist met fist, the blue-eyed young man and the thick-browed guard gritted their teeth, conveying the strength that they had to their clenching palms, further utilizing the power.

_Not bad_. A corner of the old man's lips tugged. _He seems to have less skill in controlling his chakra, but…_

They tied, for a moment, before a kind of battle cry escaped Lee's mouth and Naruto suddenly flew back. A thudding sound appeared to be echoing in the air as he collided with the earth, his back crashed against the sandy ground.

Jiraiya frowned, drawing his eyebrows together.

Naruto's mind seemed to wander off the battlefield just before. That resulted in the lack of equal strength as an opponent and unbalanced chakra-control. He wondered what may have troubled him—today he actually lost against the self-proclaimed youthful young man. They usually had the tendency to tie.

Jiraiya clapped his hands twice. "Okay, great job, guys! That's all for today."

He walked towards Naruto and Lee—who was helping Naruto stood up from his laying position. The man with golden hair hissed as pain bit him, most parts of his body felt sore and worn out. Seeing the exhausted man, Jiraiya concluded that it might be best for him to take a rest. He was about to inform Naruto about the flaws he saw in his Martial Arts skills, but he decided it might be better to tell him another day.

He patted Naruto on the shoulder gently, so not to cause him ache. "Not bad, kid. You have some things to work on, but I'll keep it for the next day. You should go to the Infirmary now, get your wounds tended."

Naruto shrugged. "It's not really necessary. Besides, I'm alright."

Jiraiya smirked. He grabbed Naruto's wrist and pressured a spot, making a low growl came from the blond as his wrist flinched from pain. Jiraiya arched his eyebrows, as if saying, '_See what I mean?_'

Naruto grimaced, but he still stood by his opinion. "The bruises would heal soon, anyway."

At that, Jiraiya was slightly interested and surprised. He knew that the Nine-Tailed Fox inside Naruto could heal his injuries, but the blond was saying it so casually. He seemed to have accepted the fact a long time ago and perhaps came to terms with it. Though the old man couldn't help but wonder what it took him to do so.

Nevertheless, as if proving that his advice was right, Jiraiya let go of Naruto's wrist and the younger man wobbled, staggering back.

The impact caused when his head bumped with the ground might have been the reason why his head hurt and felt woozy. Lee's vigor was never to be taken lightly, after all.

"Wounds and scratches might be healed, but you'd still need a rest for that head of yours to stop spinning," Jiraiya chuckled, "no matter how hard-headed you are."

Naruto tousled his golden locks and shrugged. "… I guess."

When Naruto was about to leave, Jiraiya paused him, "Naruto. Is there anything bothering you? You seemed unfocused today."

The younger man's eyes narrowed a little, and a deep frown formed on his forehead. A glimpse of surprise surfaced ever so slightly in his cerulean orbs. But he shook his head and averted his gaze away from his instructor. "No. I'm just… a bit tired, that's all."

Jiraiya nodded—still doubtful—and Naruto left the Training Field to head for the Infirmary. He watched the young man walk towards the building—which was not too far from sight. Well, 'tired' seemed like a reasonable reason, and the Toad Sage decided not to mull over it for any longer.

He suddenly felt the temperature rise when he glanced at Naruto's all-black clothing.

Sheesh, why on earth did he wear such dark color in a sizzling day like this? Not only today, actually. It appeared that he wore them every day. Even his sleeveless black top seemed to be trapping the heat above his skin, which was glistening with sweat.

The old man noted to self that he would change that. Well, someday.

He turned his head to look at Lee, who was stretching himself to alleviate his muscles. "You're not going to the Infirmary, too, Lee?"

"Nope! I want to spend some youthful time first with myself in the Baths." He grinned, showcasing his natural sparkling white teeth. "Besides, Sakura-san is not here today, right? It's her training session with Lady Tsunade."

Jiraiya's eyes widened.

Lee tilted his head a bit to one side with a thoughtful expression, "Now that I think about it… Sensei, aren't you supposed to be guarding the Shrine since Lady Tsunade is not going to be there today?"

Jiraiya blinked.

…

And paled.

::

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

::

"Yes it is!" Ino exclaimed with a laugh. Her voice reverberated in the empty Dining Room. "Kiba was profoundly dumb, I think. No, I mean it!" she assured eagerly when Hinata laughed at her statement.

The dark-haired young lady giggled softly. "But it was years ago already, right, Ino-san? He was still a little kid…"

"Yeah, well… A very, _very_ annoying kid with a show-off attitude," she added, crossing her arms, "and a small brain. Do you remember when he challenged me in an arm wrestling game?"

The Princess smiled.

The 'do you remember?' topics were always fun to chat about—for her, at least. She could keep reminiscing about the things she and the other kids did back then on and on without feeling lackluster. They were memories she held dear to her heart. Although… she'd rather think about the events that occurred _after_ the others came to the Palace, than when she was still alone there with stern guards.

Even so, her childhood was becoming much more cheerful gradually with the presence of her friends. She would always love having them by her side.

Smiling fairly lighthearted, she answered Ino's question, "I remember. I-It was really fun watching the two of you…"

"Psh. It was fun for me when I won against him."

Hinata laughed, which made the blonde young woman chuckle too. "Did you see the look on his face after that, Hinata? I bet he was really embarrassed that time. Ha! He'd know that he wasn't the best out there."

Her raven-haired companion giggled softly, "But… even so, he's still the best to you, right?"

Ino's jaw hung open, and Hinata's giggle grew louder as the towheaded girl's ears turn red. "Wha…? What do you mean by that? I mean, of course not! Why would that dumb kid..."

Ino mumbled and grumbled while the Princess put a hand on her mouth, trying to stifle her small laughter. She may not admit it openly, but Ino seemed to care for the brash young man, as Hinata believed her to be. Ino always chattered that Kiba was her mortal enemy, but Hinata thought differently when she saw the way her best friend's blue eyes looked at him.

The blonde lass pouted and frowned, slight colors of cherry adorned her cheeks. "A-Anyway, what time is it now?"

Hinata chuckled lightly at Ino's attempt to change the subject. Replying to the question, the pale-eyed girl glanced at the clock on the wall, "It's… ten fifteen."

"Really?" Ino's eyes widened. "Oh, shoot! I'm going to be late for work," she said, hurriedly standing from the chair. She ran to the doors and right before going outside, she waved to Hinata and gave her a smile. "I'm sorry, Hinata! We'll talk again later, okay? Wish me luck so I can catch the last carriage to Town!"

The young Princess smiled and waved back at her, and with that, Ino darted off.

Hinata sighed, still smiling.

She admired her cheerful friend. Ino was amazing, really; she had a flower shop in Town, and she worked hard throughout the day to earn some money so the Palace would still have meals on the table every day. She still spared some time to tend the Garden as well, and never once did she neglect her friends. All this, yet she never whined about anything.

Of course, Ino was not the only one who worked for the Palace's expenses and the needs of its inhabitants. Sakura worked three times a week, too, at a local clinic in the Blue Moon Town. Tenten also worked for a blacksmith in a weapons shop. Shino and Kiba worked part-time in a bookstore—which Kiba often stated that he did _not_ enjoy the job in any way. Lee with Jiraiya-sensei sometimes filled in for absent budō instructors in a small dōjō.

Simply put, everyone worked hard to maintain the Palace's financial balance; everyone, except… her.

It frustrated her oftentimes, how she seemed to be a burden for everyone. She wanted to help, too, but was always reminded about Lady Tsunade's order. Because of that, she has never been anywhere outside the Palace, not even the Town. Not even out of the _gates_.

She wished she could see the outside world for once. To not become a burden and help the people she wanted to help the most. She hoped and hoped that one day everyone could finally accept her.

She would imagine herself being in the Town, finally recognized, loved, and acknowledged by the people. The children would wave at her, and the others would greet her with a genuine smile. Oh… and she would smile back too; finally covered in true, utter happiness

Then again… it was just a reverie—a lovely dream far away from her reach.

A small ache shaped inside her chest as her wishful thoughts ended. Her sight was starting to blur when she blinked, but she tried to hold back the droplets of salty mist on the corners of her pale eyes. She quickly wiped away the tears on her eyelashes.

She had to stay strong. She promised herself.

The Dining Room's door opened abruptly, startling the Princess.

"Hinata-chan!"

Hinata spun her head around to see the person who called out to her. "…Tenten-san!"

"Good morning, Princess!" she greeted with a cheerful smile. "Thank goodness I found you. I've been looking for you everywhere!"

The raven-haired young lady glanced at her friend. She was huffing slightly, and her cheeks were rose red from the heat.

Hinata couldn't help but feel guilty.

The raven haired young lass hung her head down and clutched her kimono's long sleeves. "I… I'm sorry."

Those words formed a small frown on Tenten's brow and a small, yet audible chuckle fled from her lips. "Don't be, Hinata-chan! There's nothing to be sorry for, anyway."

"B-But…" she replied softly, "because of me, you're feeling tired now, so—"

She was unable to finish her sentence as Tenten wrapped her in a tight, warm hug. "It's not because of you," she stated, releasing her embrace. "It's not like you _forced _me to look for you. And Hinata-chan, don't put on that sad face! I have this huge urge to squeeze you every time you have that expression."

She giggled at her own remark, and eventually the Princess giggled along "Um, Tenten-san… Why were you looking for me? Is… Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Well…" Tenten took a deep breath, and said, "You see…"

::

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

::

Naruto opened the white wooden door which led to the Infirmary room. He crinkled his nose a little when he smelled the faint scent of herbs and medicines. He entered the white room and glanced at the floor—this was probably the only room that didn't have tatami mats as the flooring.

Across him was a small bed, covered with clean white fabric. It was placed right next to the wall, under a window which showed the Training Field. He closed the door and approached the bed, wincing slightly when his stinging legs asked for attention.

Finally able to sit on the bed, he leaned his back against the wall and opened the casement so that the outside air could enter the room. His tresses waved gently as the wind passed by. Closing his eyes, he let his mind wander.

What bothered him, exactly?

He groaned and covered his face with his hand. He could have done so much better in the sparring session, yet… he let his mind wander off in the middle of the battle. His concentration was blurred.

It was the thought about Kyuubi—the Nine Tailed Fox, which intruded his muse.

These past days, he was getting more and more perplexed. The people in the Palace—they were very… open. He hadn't lived there for a long time, but they seemed to have already welcomed him and treated him like one of their own. That baffled him, for he was never been taken care of in such a way.

It bothered him. It bothered him because of the rare kindness they have shown, and because of the fact that he had Kyuubi in him.

What was even more troubling was that he began to find comfort in their display of kindheartedness. He felt… contented with them, though he knew that such ease shouldn't have been there in the first place. Thus a certain question often nested in his mind these days.

What would it be like… if they knew about the Nine Tailed Fox?

Would they hate him?

The faintest yet familiar feeling of anxiety and apprehension rose in him.

He groaned yet again. This would _not_ do at all. Since when did he care about what other people may think about him? He had stopped his concern for others a long time ago; he had turned himself into an empty shell of apathy.

When did he turn into a softie?

His duty was his priority, and he shouldn't let himself being carried away in this kind of a new place that was… slowly lulling his guard.

He shouldn't. He _couldn't_.

_No_.

"Naruto-kun? Umm…"

The very familiar voice tenderly called out and trailed off. A clicking sound on the door made him open his eyes, letting the azure irises show from under his eyelids. A strange frisson traveled down his spine as the voice reached his ears.

There was no other person in the world that would call him that way.

Dark soft locks showed up behind the white entrance, followed by a fair-skinned face and pearly, tender moonlike eyes.

_It's her… _

"Ah, you're here…!" she looked at him with a worried expression, hurriedly stepping inside the Infirmary in her soft blue kimono with patterns of white bamboo grass. She approached him and sometimes clumsily stumbled against the floor tiles as she rushed.

"Are… Are you alright? Does it hurt badly? I—"

"I'm well," he interrupted her array of words, and she paused. Her eyes were full with worry, gleaming with concern. Naruto felt his chest tighten as he stared into the pools of white-lavender. It was as if the rich feelings on her eyes affect him, too.

It was most overwhelming.

He blinked and broke their eye contact, turning to glance at his scratched and bruised arm. He could see that the scratches were closing very, very slowly and that the bruises were starting to fade little by little, thanks to the Nine Tailed Fox's chakra. But Hinata did not see it, perhaps, for her eyes widened.

Worriedly, she scurried across the room to a medicine cabinet next to a washbasin, and walked back towards him several moments later with a first aid kit in one hand, and a bowl filled with water on the other hand. She placed the kit on the bed right beside him, and the bowl on a small chair nearby.

She took out a handkerchief from her kimono and drenched it in water. The Princess spared a small glance at him for a moment, and her cheeks changed color into rosy red.

"Umm…" she hung her head down, "Please h-hold still."

Very gently, she touched Naruto's arm and cleansed the wounds with her handkerchief.

Naruto shivered.

Her touch was very tender and cautious, though her movement was awkward at times. A weird feeling stung his chest, and a lump seemed to grow in his throat. He found it hard to breathe—as if the said lump blocked the lungs' way to his nose.

Hinata placed the handkerchief on the bed, and scrambled through the medicines in the first aid kit. She took out a very small blue bottle, and gently let the somewhat brownish liquid fall upon the cuts on his skin.

He hissed as the antiseptic fluid seeped into the wounds.

"Ah, I-I'm sorry! Please hang in there…" said Hinata, staring worriedly yet reassuringly at his eyes.

…Strangely enough, he found it hard to speak, much to his bewilderment.

He tried to swallow the lump instead, and nodded.

His eyes widened, suddenly, as the shivers revisited him when Hinata's soft breath tickled the skin on his arm as she blew the remaining liquid that clung on his lesions. The warm air somehow eased the hurt, and the urge to just flee from the room—from her, increased.

He could have just told her about the Kyuubi and its healing ability to not worry her. She would stop as well—trying to tend his wounds, but…

Deep in his mind and conscience he was still afraid. He knew that if she found out about it, she would probably start to hate him.

Naruto flinched when he felt something cold caressing his bruises. He glanced to his arm and found Hinata's fingers tracing the bruises with a kind of balm on each of her fingertips. She noticed his stare, and her cheeks flushed.

"T-This was an ointment Kurenai-sensei taught me to make…" she said awkwardly, struggling with her words. "It's not as good, but… I tried my best and I… I hope it could make the bruises feel better…"

Naruto sighed inwardly and he let the familiar shivers run down his spine.

He found her ethereal touches to feel… oddly… nice.

He knew he should _not_ have felt like that.

He kept reminding himself to keep it together; if he began to feel contented with the contacts of their skin… he would probably forget his goal yet again. He couldn't let himself grow any kind of fondness towards this young girl in front of him.

Yet it was surfacing ever so slightly. Deny it as he may, he knew that somehow… he was beginning to get attached.

He shut his eyes tightly, flinging the last of his persistence before he finally gave in to the tenderness of her touch. His shoulders slumped down and his muscles relaxed against his will.

Suddenly his vision blurred, as his head throbbed and ached from the bump earlier. He felt lightheaded all of a sudden… and his body lost its balance.

He felt his body wobbled and turned feather-weighted.

"…Huh?" he blinked his eyes drowsily several times. Why did he feel… warm?

"Eep! A-Are you alright? Ah…"

The faintest scent of wild flowers entered his nose, and he couldn't help but wonder why. He blinked again, and his vision began to clear gradually. And right in his sight was… white lavender spheres.

Hinata grabbed both sides of his upper arms firmly, trying to prevent him from falling down. He suddenly collapsed forward. Hinata was very surprised. Her heart began beating erratically, pounding like a mad hammer against her chest. Her cheeks were deeper than red and she shuddered when his warmth began to embrace her.

_They were so close…_

The blond young man groaned quietly. The pain was starting to get worse, and in an attempt to lessen it he brought a hand to his head and rubbed the sore spot. At the same time, he uneasily pulled back from her grip. "My head… hurts."

"Eh?" her eyes widened. "Oh no… Please lay back, you should rest…"

Her petite hands led his body to lie on the bed, all the while he kept his eyes closed. He felt somewhat more at ease when his throbbing head rested against the spongy pillow. His ears flinched ever so slightly when he heard a soft, faint sigh coming from Hinata's lips. There was a sound of relief in it.

She sat on a nearby chair with a frown lingering on her forehead, along with the concerned gleam in her eyes. When she spoke, her voice was as soft as a whisper; worry radiating from her tone. "Are—are you feeling any better…?"

Her earnest concern and the velvetiness of her voice made him feel somehow… at ease. The honest gleam in her eyes, and the kindness that just trickled from everything that she did made him forget about all the negative things on his mind that just loitered there. It made him feel as if he already _belonged_… as though gloomy memories about the Black Swan, Danzou, and Kyuubi faded to the back of his mind.

And those were much to his frustration.

"Yes… I'm alright, you can leave now."

She seemed to be taken aback. He didn't mean to say it with that kind of tone, and the expression on her visage clearly showed that she was surprised. Maybe that was kind of rude, to her, but that's better. Rather than having any kind of… connection, he'd rather have her dislike him—though that thought somehow bothered him slightly. He hoped he could dislike her too, but she was really a person you could not easily have an aversion to.

He thought she would leave at that instant, but he saw the astonishment from her face faded and softened, yet an unfamiliar determination displayed on her usually gentle features. Her eyes glimmered with a soft conviction he couldn't describe.

"N-No, I… I'd like to stay here."

He was stunned and confused at the same time. "Why?"

"Because…" the reddish color crawled to her cheeks again, "I… I'd like to be here if you need anything."

Naruto was surprised, and he felt her sincerity made its way to him. By the looks on her pale lavender tinted orbs, she didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.

Her insistence somehow gave him an uninvited comfort. He was tempted to leave the room himself, away from her, but all of the kindness that she offered gave him a rare kind of ease… and he was slowly giving up.

He tried to push her away, yet, somehow, she always managed to find a way back towards him.

His weariness finally let down the barrier he put up around him, and he finally gave in, even if slowly.

_Perhaps… just this time…_

The gentle breeze that sneaked through the window's cleft passed through his face and skin, caressing him tenderly. He closed his eyes, and let the warmth and comfort finally envelop him.

He nodded.

Hinata blinked several times at his simple, short answer. Then a smile, a truly genuine one, grew on her lips. Her voice was rich with gladness as she replied.

"Thank you."

::

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

::

Silence enclosed the two of them, and the wind's whistle was the only audible sound. The quietness was soothing in a way, and Hinata sat quite comfortably in the silence. Her pale eyes gazed through the windowpane, grasping the spring scenery with a light heart.

She wished to stay by his side. It was her of own free will, and she really wanted to be his friend. She wanted to change the sadness in his azure irises into those of… happiness.

Her eyes drifted to him, sparing a glance. His eyes were closed and his chest rose and fell along with the rhythm of his steady breathing. He looked peaceful in his rest. The knowledge of this gave her a feeling of relief that traveled through her heart. Hinata could only hope that he would get better soon.

Her muses did not last any longer, though, for Naruto's voice broke the silence. "Hey…"

Hinata's head snapped up in surprise and she glanced at him with curiosity glimmering in her pearly eyes. "Y-Yes?"

His eyelids heaved open. "I… can't sleep."

"E-Eh?" she replied in a baffled tone. She had the feeling of wanting to reduce his restlessness but… she couldn't think of anything that might do so.

What could she do?

Then, the strangest idea came to her mind. She gathered the bits of her courage, and played with her fingers as her nervous feelings reappeared within her chest. "Should I—um, can I tell you a story?"

Naruto glanced at her with a confused yet curious look. His eyebrows furrowed.

Hinata found her cheeks reddened to yet another stage of crimson red. She felt the speed of her heart increasing again, banging and pounding against the wall of her chest. Awkwardness conquered her feelings, and she hung her head down whilst her fingers clutching the kimono fabric even harder.

"W-Well…" she spluttered, feeling the need to answer his questioning look. "K-Kurenai-sensei used to tell me a story before bedtime… It—it usually helped me to sleep, so… I thought…"

She sneaked a glance towards him behind the strands of her raven hair. He was staring out through the window, and an indescribable look tangled in his cerulean eyes. This was the first time, and perhaps she was mistaken, but she felt that she… saw softness in the ocean spheres of his.

It was somehow breathtaking, and with the sunlight illuminating his figure…

Hinata took a deep breath quietly as her chest tightened.

Naruto closed his eyes and answered with an almost gentle, whispering voice. "…Tell me."

The young princess' eyes shone as the words reached her. She was sort of afraid of his rejection if he refused her unordinary offer. She was filled with relief and… tingles everywhere.

So she told him her most favorite story: '_The Ugly Duckling'_.

She recounted how the poor duckling was chased out by everyone because of its terrible appearance; how it felt sad and lonely, always traveling alone. But as she got to the part where the duckling transformed to the most beautiful swan and felt the happiness it never tasted, she could almost see the far-fetched look in his eyes.

_Longing for the same kind of happiness_.

Hinata smiled and released a gust of breath softly. She had, actually, never told a story to another person. This was a first, and nervousness ran through her veins as well. But she was glad, and delighted, too, to be able to do so. It felt… great.

She spared a fleeting look at the young man resting on the bed in front of her. His eyes were open, staring quite intensely at the ceiling above. Those cerulean orbs of his gave a dazed look, as though his mind was somewhere else far. He seemed to be wandering deep, deep in thought.

And suddenly his gentle, raspy voice broke the thickening stillness.

"It was… a nice story."

_Thump._

The ever so familiar scarlet color tainted Hinata's cheeks. Her eyes were no longer glancing at him at the moment—they were _locked_ to his figure; to the rare mildness and vulnerability that radiated from his blue eyes. To the same, faint sadness she often saw in him.

He slowly closed his eyes, and let a gust of breath fled from his lips inaudibly.

Tranquility displayed on his features, all the while Hinata found herself unable to speak.

_Thump._

Her heartbeat's sound rang loudly in her own ears, echoing throughout. It was very silent in the room, and she couldn't help but wonder if he could hear the noise of her heart ramming against her chest. He then yawned, feeling the restlessness dwindle to the point he began to feel lighter. Slowly, he fell into slumber.

The Princess' nerves relaxed quite a bit, too, as she saw him drifting to rest. The sound of his breathing rang softly in her ears, soothing her in a way she could not explain.

Her eyelids began to get heavy as well. She held back a yawn, feeling somehow drowsy and tired. Unable to resist, she leaned her brow against an empty space on the bed, resting her head and arms beside Naruto's shoulder.

She was starting to doze as well, closing her heavy eyelids to hide her white lavender-tinted eyes. She could still hear the gentle, slight shift of his body, and the words that he muttered under his breath:

"…Thank you."

Eyes still closed, Hinata smiled wholeheartedly and a pleasant feeling washed upon her. Her chest tingled, and her heart fluttered unexplainably.

_I want to be his friend…_

… And she went into a deep slumber.

::

~:~:~:~:~:~:~

::

Jiraiya stood at the white door's threshold, slightly interested at the sight before him. There lay the Princess, sleeping tranquilly beside her Knight, who was resting in a deep sleep with a slight snore coming from him. Both looked peaceful, illuminated by the soft light that the sun exuded.

A smile played upon the older man's lips.

He turned around, intending to leave. That was a rare scene, and he'd rather not change it, yet. He glanced at the Princess, with her raven hair falling gracefully upon her back. She seemed to be happy with her slightly bright visage and rosy cheeks, and he was relieved when he saw it. The kind girl deserved such happiness.

_I'll wake Hinata-chan later._

He softly closed the door as quiet as possible, trying to not produce any noise.

_There's a chance something might grow between them_. He chuckled silently, feeling rather amused._ I'd be glad to see that development_.

::

* * *

**A/N:**

_Nemaki _: Japanese sleepwear, similar to a kimono.

_Selenite Gemstone_: Selenite gemstone is a protection stone. Its glow much resembled a moon, earning it the name Selenite which was taken after a goddess named Selene, the Greek goddess of the Moon.

_Peach Selenite Gemstone_: In addition to the properties of white selenite stone, peach selenite helps to heal old emotional wounds and transforms this negative energy to healing, forgiveness and acceptance.

::

I am so, so sorry for not updating since a long, long time ago. I hope you would forgive me, what with my sporadic, long-distanced updates. Please bear with me—wish me luck so I can finish this story until the very end! I will try to do my best, too. Also, I'm thinking of rewriting the earlier chapters from this story since I feel they need more improvement and there are so many errors. D:

Thank you all for reading, for waiting, or even just for passing by. Thank you for always supporting me! Much loves. (":


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